GIFT  OF 


o- 


CALIFORNIA  STATE  MINING  BUREAU 

FERRY  BUILDING,  SAN  FRANCISCO 
FLETCHER  HAMILTON  State  Mineralogist 


San  Francisco 


July,  1915 


Mines  and  Mineral  Resources 


OF 


Del  Norte  County 
Humboldt  County 
Mendocino  County 


CHAPTERS  OF  STATE  MINERALOGISTS  REPORT 
BIENNIAL  PERIOD  1913-1914 


CALIFORNIA 
STATE  PBINTINQ  OFFICE 

1 9 1  r> 


CALIFORNIA   STATE   MINING   BUREAU 

FERRY  BUILDING,  SAN  FRANCISCO 
FLETCHER  HAMILTON  State  Mineralogist 


Mines  and  Mineral  Resources 


OF 


Del  Norte  County 
Humboldt  County 
Mendocino  County 


COMPLIMENTS  Or 

F.  MCN  HAMILTON 

STATE  Mi 


By  F.  L.  LOWELL,  Field  Assistant 


1445GB 


CALIFORNIA 

STATE  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1915 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  three  counties  presented  herewith  constitute  the  northernmost 
coast  group,  being  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  State  and  bordering 
on  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Until  quite  recently — in  fact,  subsequent  to 
writing  the  body  of  this  report — the  only  transportation  connection 
Del  Norte  and  Humboldt  counties  had  with  the  rest  of  the  world  was 
by  water,  Eureka,  Fort  Bragg  and  Crescent  City  being  the  principal 
ports.  The  Northwestern  Pacific  Railroad  has  now  been  completed 
through  to  Eureka,  giving  all  but  the  extreme  northern  section  a  direct 
rail  route  to  San  Francisco.  A  railroad  connection  to  Crescent  City 
is  at  present  under  construction  from  Grant's  Pass,  Oregon. 

The  principal  industries  of  this  district  are  lumbering,  dairying  and 
agriculture,  the  mineral  output,  except  for  Humbaldt,  being  as  yet 
small.  The  undeveloped  mineral  resources,  however,  are  great,  the 
exploitation  of  which  is  dependent  mainly  on  improved  transportation 
facilities. 

Acknowledgment  is  here  made  of  assistance  rendered  by  the  various 
owners  of  properties,  both  during  the  field  work  and  in  the  subsequent 
preparation  of  this  report. 


323631 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION     1 

CHAPTER   I,    DEL   NORTE   COUNTY. 

INTRODUCTION 3 

Brief  Geologic  Description  of  Del  Norte,  Humboldt  and  Mendocino  Counties  3 

BLACK    SANDS    5 

BUILDING  MATERIALS   9 

COAL - 10 

CHROME    IRON    10 

COPPER 10 

Low   Divide   Mining   District r 11 

Diamond  Creek  District 14 

Monumental   District   14 

French    Hill    District 15 

Other   Districts   16 

GOLD 16 

Placers 16 

Quartz    19 

QUICKSILVER     20 

CHAPTER  II,  HUMBOLDT  COUNTY. 

BLACK    SANDS    21 

BUILDING  MATERIALS   21 

QUARRIES 22 

CEMENT 23 

LIMESTONE . 23 

COPPER 24 

Horse    Mountain    District 26 

Mattole   Mining   District 29 

COAL 29 

GOLD 30 

Placers 31 

NATURAL  GAS 38 

GRAPHITE 38 

IRON 38 

MINERAL  WATERS    38 

OIL    40 

OCHRE    44 

CHAPTER   III,   MENDOCINO   COUNTY. 

BRICK   AND   TILE 45 

COAL 45 

COPPER 48 

CHROME  IRON 50 

GOLD 50 

MANGANESE 51 

MAGNESITE    52 

MINERAL   SPRINGS 52 

OIL 54 

QUARRIES  _  55 


VI  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Oro  Del  Norte  black  sands  plant,  showing  method  of  hauling  sands  to  bins 5 

Oro  Del  Norte  black  sands  plant,  showing  suction  pipe  line 6 

Oro  Del  Norte  black  sands  plant,  showing    revolving    screen 6 

Oro  Del  Norte  plant,  showing  sand  skip  and  track  for  dumping  waste 7 

Oro  Del  Norte  plant,   general  view 8 

Oro  Del  Norte  plant,  showing  driftwood  line , 9 

Map  of  Low  Divide  Mining  District 11 

Section  of  Alta  California  Mine 12 

Monumental   Mine   Buildings 20 

Tension  curve  of  Humboldt  Bay  Cement 23 

Croppings  of  Horse  Mountain  Copper  Mine 24 

Camp  Buildings  of  Horse  Mountain   Copper  Mine 25 

Mill  of  Horse  Mountain   Copper  Mine 26 

Horse  Mountain  Copper  Mining  District  Map 28 

Briceland  Estate  Gas  Well 37 

Map  of  a  portion  of  Humboldt  County,  showing  oil  occurrences 43 


DEL  NORTE  COUNTY. 

Field  Work  in  August,   1913. 

BRIEF  GEOLOGIC   DESCRIPTION    OF   DEL   NORTE,   HUMBOLDT  AND 
MENDOCINO  COUNTIES. 

In  discussing  the  geology  of  this  section  of  the  Coast  Ranges,  one  ?s 
confronted  with  the  similarity  of  the  character  of  the  rocks  of  the 
different  geological  ages  and  the  scarcity  of  fossils  by  which  the  differ- 
ent series  of  stratified  rocks  may  be  distinguished.  The  rocks  of  the 
different  formations  have  undergone  such  metamorphism  that  it  is  at 
times  difficult  to  detect  the  change  from  one  series  to  another.  The 
Coast  Range  has  been  subject  to  so  much  disturbance  that  the  rock 
masses  have  been  crushed  and  faulted  out  of  their  original  stratigraphic 
positions. 

Beginning  at  the  northern  boundary  of  Sonoma  County  and  extending 
north  through  Mendocino,  Humboldt,  and  Del  Norte  counties,  the  geolog- 
ical structure  is  very  regular.  The  rocks  are  mostly  of  Cretaceous  age 
and  are  often  very  much  altered.  Serpentine,  jaspers  and  mica  slates 
are  encountered  in  large  quantities  and  in  a  very  irregular  manner. 
There  are  but  few  areas  of  unaltered  strata. 

The  general  strike  of  the  axis  of  the  Coast  Ranges  through  these  three 
counties  is  northwest  and  southeast  and  the  preponderance  of  dip  is 
toward  the  southwest,  the  crest  of  the  range  being  nearer  the  eastern 
slope.  The  deep  valleys  have  been  eroded  by  the  abundance  of  water 
and  the  level  valleys  of  some  of  the  watersheds  contain  strata  of  Plio- 
cene age.  These  strata  are  shallow,  and  fossils  have  been  noted  in  Del 
Norte  and  southern  Humboldt  counties.  The  Tertiary  rocks  are  not  as 
prevalent  as  those  of  the  Cretaceous.  The  latter  are  to  be  noted  more 
particularly  in  the  oil  field  region  of  southwestern  Humboldt  County. 

The  South  Fork  of  the  Trinity  River  takes  the  same  general  northwest 
direction  as  the  other  rivers  of  the  Coast  Range.  Trinity  River  changes 
its  direction,  flowing  nearly  west  from  Weaverville  in  Trinity  County 
to  where  it  joins  the  South  Fork,  thence  northwest  through  the  moun- 
tains to  the  coast.  The  Trinity  Mountain  range  seems  to  be  the  joining 
strip  uniting  the  main  Sierras  and  the  Coast  Range.  The  rocks  in  this 
northern  section  become  more  crystalline,  and  the  older  granites  which 
form  the  nucleus  of  the  Sierras  make  their  appearance.  This  granite 
outcrops  north  of  Humboldt  Bay  and  thence  north  to  the  state  line. 

From  the  junction  of  the  Klamath  and  Trinity  rivers,   extending 

; northward  to  the  northern  end  of  Del  Norte  County,  the  country  is  very 

rugged  and  covered  with   forests.     The  rocks  resemble  those  of  the 

Sierras  and  are  auriferous  and  cupriferous.     The  gravels  of  the  rivers 


MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 


also  carry  *gol&"  and  platinum  values.  In  this  northern  region,  serpen- 
tine is  the  principal  rock.  Peridotite,  the  parent  rock  of  serpentine,  is 
found  exposed  by  erosion  on  Horse  Mountain  in  northeastern  Humboldt 
County. 

It  might  be  said  that  the  greater  part  of  the  geological  formations  of 
Mendocino,  Humboldt  and  Del  Norte  counties  is  composed  of  sedimen- 
tary rocks  of  Tertiary  and  Cretaceous  age.  There  does  not  appear  to  be 
a  nucleus  of  igneous  rock  forming  the  axis  of  the  range,  although  granite 
does  outcrop  in  some  parts  of  this  section.  There  are  remains  of  volcanic 
activity  in  the  form  of  volcanic  glass  and  tuff,  and  solfataric  action  is 
still  taking  place  at  some  of  the  springs  of  southern  Mendocino  County. 

Throughout  Mendocino  and  southern  Humboldt  counties  the  Cretace- 
ous sandstones  are  abundant,  being  very  noticeable  at  Point  Arena  and 
in  the  oil  section  of  southwestern  Humboldt.  Organic  remains  are 
absent  except  in  a  very  few  instances.  The  rocks  of  this  age  have  been 
altered  to  a  considerable  extent  and  serpentines  and  mica  slates  are  the 
alteration  products. 

In  Del  Norte  County,  granite  forms  the  nucleus  of  the  mountain 
ranges  and  over  it  is  a  mantle  of  metamorphic  rocks.  In  the  western 
portion  of  the  country  sedimentary  rocks  prevail.  Intrusive  serpentine 
carries  the  copper  and  chrome  iron  deposits.  Quartz  occurs  in  small 
seams  and  veins.  Copper  occurs  in  lenses  of  a  rich  concentration,  either 
as  free  metal  or  in  sulphides.  The  slates  carry  many  thin  seams  of 
quartz,  sometimes  rich  in  gold,  and  no  doubt  the  erosion  of  these  forma- 
tions is  responsible  for  the  gold  concentrated  in  the  streams. 

This  serpentine  belt  continues  through  Humboldt  and  Mendocino 
counties.  Perhaps  the  most  noticeable  occurrence  is  at  Horse  Mountain, 
in  Humboldt  County.  There  the  copper  deposits  in  serpentine  are 
encountered  again.  The  country  has  been  eroded  so  extensively  that  the 
oMer  crystalline  diorites  protrude  through  the  more  recent  rock  forma- 
tions. Other  acid  rocks,  such  as  quartzite,  outcrop  in  large  masses, 
besides  a  dike  of  porphyry  which  forms  a  well  defined  contact  with 
serpentine.  Not  far  from  Horse  Mountain  on  Willow  Creek  a  large 
body  of  limestone  is  exposed,  having  a  northwest  strike.  It  resembles 
that  in  western  Trinity  County.  Another  limestone  formation  north  of 
Humboldt  Bay  is  well  exposed.  The  granite  formation  also  outcrops 
here. 

Passing  south  through  Humboldt  County  and  across  the  redwood 
belt,  the  later  formations  of  sandstone  and  shale  come  in.  These  carry 
the  oil  and  gas  of  this  section.  The  formation  js  very  badly  broken  up 
and  seepages  of  oil,  and  gas  emanations  are  numerous.  This  formation 
continues  into  Mendocino  County  and  is  most  noticeable  on  the  coast  at 
Point  Arena.  In  the  southern  portion  of  Mendocino  County,  the 


DEL   NORTE    COUNTY.  5 

amount  of  alteration  by  the  introduction  of  magnesian  combinations  is 
noticeable.  This  is  illustrated  by  the  magnesite  deposits  and  the  mineral 
springs  of  that  section. 

Taking  the  three  counties  together,  one  might  say  that  the  geology  is 
complex,  the  solution  of  which  will  take  considerable  time  and  much 
patience  to  decipher. 

BLACK  SANDS. 

Almost  all  of  the  gold  bearing  gravels  of  the  Smith  River  basin  contain 
black  sands  which  carry  some  platinum.  The  beach  sands  also  carry 
values  in  gold  and  platinum.  In  cleaning  up  the  sluice  boxes  of  the 
hydraulic  mines  after  the  season's  washing,  these  black  sands  are  20!- 
lected  in  large  quantities  and  the  platinum  and  gold  content  are  found 
to  vary  greatly  in  their  relative  proportion  to  each  other.  On  French 
Hill  the  platinum  forms  5%  of  the  total  values.  At  Antone  Kauss' 
mine  on  Craigh's  Creek  pieces  of  coarse  platinum  worth  up  to  $25  have 
been  found.  On  the  Myrtle  Creek  Mining  Company's  property  the 
black  sands  are  said  to  assay  as  high  as  $3,562  per  ton  in  gold  and 
platinum. 

Serpentine  is  a  prominent  rock  formation  in  the  Smith  River  basin, 
and  being  an  alteration  rock  derived  from  peridotite  which  carries 
platinum,  seems  to  bear  out  the  theory  of  platinum  deposits  in  the 
placer  gravels. 

Outside  of  these  river  gravels  and  sands  the  only  other  black  sand 
deposit  being  worked  in  the  county  is  on  the  beach  2  miles  south  of 
Crescent  City. 

Oro  Del  Norte  Company.  This  company  is  incorporated  for  one  mil- 
lion shares  at  a  par  value  of  $1  per  share.  The  company  owns  255  acres 


Oro  Del  Norte  Black  Sands  Plant,  showing  method  of  hauling  sands  to  bins  on  incline  trestle. 
2— B14456 


MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 


Oro   Del   Norte   Black   Sands   Plant,   showing  suction   pipe  line. 


Oro    Del    Norte   Black    Sands   Plant,   showing   the   revolving   screen. 


DEL   NORTE   COUNTY.  7 

of  patented  ranch  land  along  the  ocean  beach  2  miles  south  of  Crescent 
City.  The  plant  is  located  just  back  of  the  driftwood  line  and  consists 
of  a  suction  pipe,  skip  conveyer  to  the  plant,  a  large  area  of  aluminum 
plates  having  riffles  cut  in  them,  a  second  area  of  small  aluminum  plates 
similar  to  the  first,  a  third  metal  plate,  the  composition  of  which  is  not 
known,  and  an  electrical  equipment  for  charging  the  plates  and  other 
uses  about  the  plant. 

The  company  uses  the  Heintz  electric  flotation  process  for  treating 
the  sands  for  their  gold  and  platinum  content.     The  plant  requires 


Oro    Del    Norte    Black    Sands    Plant,    showing    sand    skip    and    track    for    dumping    waste. 

twenty-five  men  when  in  operation.  Three  shifts  are  worked  and  the 
electric  power  is  developed  by  a  200  horsepower  distillate  engine. 
A  change  from  the  wood  burning  system  to  distillate  was  being  made 
at  the  time  I  was  at  the  plant.  A  larger  suction  pipe  line  was  also 
being  installed.  The  management  claims  that  the  new  equipment  will 
handle  800  yards  of  sand  every  twenty-four  hours. 

The  suction  pipe  is  5  inches  in  diameter  and  works  on  the  ejector 
principle.  The  sand  is  delivered  from  the  pipe  line  to  a  revolving 
screen  which  screens  out  all  driftwood  and  large  wash  which  is  trammed 
to  the  water's  edge  and  dumped.  The  sand  from  the  screen  falls  to  a 
bin  from  which  it  is  drawn  off  to  a  2-cubic  yard  skip  and  hauled  up  the 
incline  to  the  sand  bins  at  the  top  of  the  treatment  plant.  Water  is 


MINES   AND   MINERAL   RESOURCES. 


DEL    NORTE    COUNTY. 

mixed  with  the  sand  in  sufficient  quantity  to  give  it  flowing  properties 
Four  thousand  gallons  of  water  per  minute  is  sufficient  for  all  purposes 
about  the  plant,  including  the  suction  pipe  line.  The  sand  and  water 
is  allowed  to  flow  over  the  metal  riffle  area  at  the  same  time  an  alternat- 
ing current  of  electricity  is  passed  through  the  metal  plates.  These 
plates  have  a  grade  of  2  inches  to  the  foot  and  the  magnetic  iron  which 
composes  30  to  50  per  cent  of  the  black  sands  is  charged  with  electricity 
and  repelled,  leaving  the  gold  and  platinum  in  a  concentrated  condi- 
tion. These  plates  are  hosed  off  every  half  hour,  the  concentrates  being 
washed  into  a  sump  from  which  they  are  pumped  to  a  second  set  of 
aluminum  plates  of  lesser  area.  These  plates  are  charged  with  alter- 


Oro    Del    Norte    Black    Sands    Plant,    showing    the    driftwood    line. 

nating  current  also  but  they  are  made  more  sensitive.  The  same  process 
of  elimination  goes  on  here  as  before  and  these  plates  are  washed  off 
every  hour  and  the  concentrates,  still  further  concentrated,  go  to  a 
sump  and  are  pumped  over  another  metal  plate,  the  composition  of 
which  could  not  be  learned. 

This  plate  is  supposed  to  remove  the  gold  and  platinum  from  the 
remaining  heavy  minerals.  The  precious  metals  are  refined  and 
returned  as  pure  gold,  platinum,  iridium,  osmium,  etc. 

This  plant  has  cost  $125,000,  with  the  new  equipment.  Theodore  "R. 
Heintz,  president  and  general  manager ;  II.  G.  Stevenson,  vice-president ; 
and  F.  S.  Markey,  secretary.  The  main  office  is  in  the  Merchants' 
Exchange  Building,  San  Francisco. 

BUILDING  MATERIALS. 

The  local  demand  for  building  stone  and  brick  is  so  small  in  the 
county  that  this  industry  has  not  been  developed  to  any  appreciable 
degree.  A  sandstone  suitable  for  building  purposes,  and  a  clay  suitable 
for  making  brick,  are  found  2  miles  east  of  Crescent  City.  There  is  a 
good  clay  in  Elk  Valley,  and  Benjamin  Howland  is  manufacturing 


10  MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 

brick.  He  supplies  the  local  demand  at  $14  per  thousand.  There  is  also 
a  deposit  of  good  pottery  clay  in  Elk  Valley,  owned  by  George  Turner, 
but  it  is  not  developed. 

COAL. 

Small  seams  of  lignite  are  found  in  some  parts  of  the  county,  but  the 
one  locality  which  has  received  most  attention  is  on  the  beach,  about  3 
miles  north  of  Crescent  City.  There  is  an  outcrop  of  what  appears  to 
be  a  tree  partly  converted  to  lignite.  This  tree  can  be  plainly  seen  at 
low  water.  No  vein  has  been  found.  A  shaft  was  sunk  to  a  vertical 
depth  of  138  feet  at  a  distance  of  200  feet  inland  from  the  beach  line, 
but  no  coal  or  lignite  was  encountered.  It  is  reported  that  borings  a 
thousand  feet  from  the  shore  penetrated  a  vein  that  was  3  feet  thick. 
Very  little  information  was  available  about  this  discovery,  and  no  devel- 
opment has  been  done. 

CHROME  IRON. 

Chrome  iron  is  fairly  well  represented  in  Del  Norte  County.  There 
are  several  croppings  in  the  Rattlesnake  Mountains  extending  from  the 
Bald  Hills  to  the  Klamath  River.  The  deposits  are  in  serpentine  and 
are  not  being  developed  at  this  time.  The  two  principal  chrome  iron 
deposits  worked  so  far  in  the  county  are  owned  by  the  Tyson  Mining 
Company,  of  Baltimore,  Md. 

French  Hill  Mines.  These  mines  consist  of  two  patented  claims  situ- 
ated on  French  Hill,  in  Sees.  5  and  6,  T.  16  N.,  R.  2  E.,  H.  M.,  at  an 
elevation  of  1750  feet.  The  chromite  is  in  the  form  of  kidneys  in  serpen- 
tine. The  deposit  strikes  northwest-southeast,  and  dips  60°  NE.  It  is 
8  feet  thick  at  the  point  where  the  development  has  been  done.  One 
hundred  fifty  tons  of  ore  are  on  the  dump,  and  about  200  tons  were 
shipped  to  Swansea  some  years  ago  and  proclaimed  excellent. 

There  is  a  wagon  road  3  miles  in  length  from  the  county  road  to  the 
property.  The  mine  is  owned  by  the  Tyson  Mining  Company,  of  Balti- 
more, Md.  It  has  not  been  worked  for  some  years. 

Low  Divide  Mines.  These  mines,  consisting  of  three  patented  claims, 
are  situated  on  Copper  Creek,  1  mile  from  the  old  town  of  Alta,  in 
Sees.  33,  34,  and  35,  T.  18  N.,  R.  1  E.,  and  about  8  miles  east  of  Smith 
River  Corners,  at  an  altitude  of  1450  feet.  The  chromite  is  in  serpen- 
tine. An  open  cut  exposes  the  vein,  which  is  14  feet  wide.  There  are 
about  500  tons  of  ore  on  the  dump.  This  property  is  also  owned  by  the 
Tyson  Mining  Company,  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  but  is  not  working  now. 

COPPER. 

Del  Norte  County  has  several  croppings  of  copper  ore  in  its  northern 
half,  which  extend  easterly  into  Siskiyou  County.  The  copper  belt  also 
extends  southward  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  county  and  on  into 
Humboldt  County. 


DEL    NORTE    COUNTY. 


11 


As  far  as  development  in  the  past  is  concerned,  the  most  prominent 
districts  are  Low  Divide  in  the  Smith  River  basin,  and  the  Dr.  Bock 
district  in  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  county.  Many  scattering 
prospects  are  also  noted  in  other  parts  of  the  copper  belt,  such  as  that 
on  Diamond  Creek,  a  tributary  of  Smith  River;  Monumental  District, 
and  also  at  French  Hill. 

The  principal  formation  is  serpentine,  and  the  copper  values  are  gen- 
erally found  in  it  or  closely  associated  with  it.  Intrusive  dikes  of  diorite 
and  peridotite  are  common.  The  copper  lenses  appear  to  be  more  stable 
where  the  acid  rocks  break  through  and  also  show  a  tendency  to  persist 
in  depth.  The  copper  ore  that  has  so  far  been  worked,  appears  to  be 
in  lenses  of  varying  sizes  and  rich  in  copper  glance,  cuprite,  melaconite, 
malachite,  and  native  copper.  The  primary  ore,  chalcopyrite,  is  not  so 
much  in  evidence  in  the  county.  Between  the  years  1860  and  1870, 
copper  ore  was  shipped  from  Del  Norte  to  Swansea  and  also  to  Germany. 
The  excessive  cost  of  transportation  and  lack  of  roads  throughout  the 
county  compelled  the  copper  mines  to  close  down  until  some  future  time, 
when  a  smelter  will  be  within  reach,  or  railroads  are  built  into  the 
country. 

LOW  DIVIDE  MINING  DISTRICT. 

This  district  is  in  the  Smith  River  basin  and  is  the  oldest  copper 
camp  in  the  county.  It  is  situated  at  the  head  of  Copper  Creek,  a 
tributary  of  Rowdy  Creek,  at  an  altitude  of  1780  feet.  Between  the 
years  1860  and  1870  there  was  a  prosperous  mining  town  here  with 
several  hundred  inhabitants.  There  are  only  two  buildings  standing  at 


Low  Divide   Mining  District,   Del   Norte   County,   California. 


12 


MINES   AND    MINERAL   RESOURCES. 


the  present  time,  which  are  occupied  by  a  caretaker  of  some  of  the 
properties.  There  is  a  wagon  road  from  Smith  River  Corners,  a  dis- 
tance of  9  miles,  to  the  properties. 

The  formation  is  serpentine  of  a  coarse  texture  and  the  strike  of  the 
vein  on  which  most  of  the  mines  are  located  is  north  and  south,  having 
an  easterly  dip  of  from  35°  to  65°.  The  vein  swells  and  pinches  along 
its  length,  forming  lenses.  The  ores  consist  of  chalcocite,  bornite,  chal- 
copyrite  and  some  pyrrhotite. 

Alta  Calif  ODiia  Mine.  This  mine  is  owned  by  the  Alta  California 
Mining  Company,  with  offices  at  519  California  street,  San  Francisco. 
The  mine  consists  of  two  patented  claims  and  these,  taken  with  the  Occi- 


Level 


Fifth  Level 


Alia.     CAliforni^    Mine,      Lon'  /VxvWe,    J_lrl  Norte.    County, C&l. 

dental  group  of  four  claims  which  immediately  join  the  Alta  on  the 
south,  were  bonded  to  the  Salt  Lake-California  Copper  Company,  for- 
merly known  as  the  Union  Copper  Company. 

Between  the  years  1860  and  1870  the  mine  was  operated  through  an 
incline  shaft  455  feet  deep  and  inclined  63°  E.  This  shaft  was  served 
by  a  steam  hoist  and  an  air  compressor,  but  no  equipment  remains. 
Eight  hundred  ninety-five  feet  of  drifting  has  been  done  on  the  four 
levels.  The  ore  was  shipped  to  Swansea  and  to  Germany.  These  mines 
have  been  closed  down  for  many  years.  The  mouth  of  the  shaft  has 
caved.  From  old  records  it  is  shown  that  ores  carrying  values  of  15% 
to  18%  copper  wTere  taken  out.  Ore  averaging  11%  was  being  taken  out 
when  the  mine  closed  down.  Records  of  the  shipments  sent  to  Swansea 
show  returns  of  $41  to  $102  per  ton. 

Salt  Lake-California  Mine.  This  property  was  formerly  known  as  the 
Union  copper  mine,  and  is  owned  by  the  Salt  Lake-California  Copper 
Company,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  It.  joins  the  Alta  on  the  north  and 


DEL   NORTE   COUNTY.  13 

consists  of  ten  claims.  Three  of  these  claims,  the  Union  Nos.  1,  2  and  3, 
are  on  the  extension  of  the  Alta  vein.  Not  far  from  the  Alta  north  end 
line  there  is  a  strong  outcrop  of  gossan  carrying  sulphides.  This  gossan 
extends  the  entire  length  of  the  two  claims  and  fraction  of  3600  feet. 
This  has  been  exposed  in  several  cuts,  and  oxides  assaying  25%  copper 
were  found.  There  is  a  60-foot  tunnel  and  another  tunnel  300  feet,  both 
driven  across  the  formation  in  an  easterly  direction.  From  the  latter 
tunnel  a  drift  100  feet  in  length  was  run  south  and  a  raise  made.  A 
third  tunnel  further  north  is  450  feet  in  length  and  cuts  the  vein  at  that 
distance.  There  is  a  100-foot  drift  south  from  this"  tunnel  on  the  vein. 
A  60-foot  winze  was  sunk  from  this  drift.  From  the  bottom  of  the  winze 
a  drift  runs  south  200  feet;  and  17%  copper  ore  was  reported.  This 
was  the  last  work  done  before  the  mine  closed  down.  A  north  drift  runs 
from  this  same  winze  and  is  240  feet  in  length.  The  450-foot  tunnel  has 
been  extended  200  feet  to  cut  the  east  vein,  but  did  not  reach  it.  On 
Union  No.  3  a  vertical  shaft  110  feet  was  sunk  on  the  vein  but  no  drift- 
ing was  done. 

There  is  an  adit  level  on  the  Big  Bonanza  claim,  running  east  on  an 
east  and  west  vein.  This  vein  is  3  feet  wide.  This  level  was  extended 
as  far  as  350  feet,  with  hopes  of  cutting  the  main  north  and  south  vein, 
but  it  was  not  found.  Sixty  feet  below  this  adit  level  on  the  same  claim, 
a  500-foot  crosscut  tunnel  was  run  to  intersect  the  north  and  south  vein, 
but  failed  to  locate  it.  Most  of  the  old  workings  are  badly  caved.  The 
shaft  has  caved  near  the  surface.  Four  hundred  tons  of  ore  from  the 
above  60-foot  winze  were  said  to  have  averaged  18%  in  copper  and 
$1.50  in  gold  per  ton. 

Superior  Copper  Mine.  This  mine  was  formerly  known  as  the  Atlantic 
Pacific  copper  mine,  and  covers  the  Mammoth  group  of  fourteen  claims 
which  join  the  Union  mine  on  the  north.  The  character  of  the  vein  is 
the  same  as  that  of  the  Salt  Lake-California  mine. 

There  are  three  tunnels  on  this  property:  No.  1,  a  crosscut,  cutting 
the  west  vein ;  No.  2  is  150  feet  below  No.  1,  and  is  also  a  crosscut,  700 
feet  long.  At  a  distance  of  150  feet  from  the  portal,  a  4-foot  vein  of 
low-grade  ore  was  cut  which  averaged  about  $20  per  ton  in  copper,  gold 
and  silver.  This  tunnel  failed  to  cut  the  main  vein.  A  distance  of  250 
feet  above  No.  1  tunnel,  a  third  tunnel  was  run  a  distance  of  500  feet, 
and  cut  a  vein  which  was  2  feet  wide.  The  vein  pinched  out,  however, 
after  some  ore  was  shipped  from  it.  The  mine  has  been  shut  down  for 
some  years. 

Frank  Zaar  Copper  Mine.  This  consists  of  four  claims  held  by  loca- 
tion, the  names  being  ''Standard,"  formerly  called  Old  Hanscom; 
"Nome,"  formerly  the  Copper  Queen;  "Discovery,"  formerly  Lady 
Bell;  and  "A  Beauty,"  formerly  Copper  Hill.  The  gossan  is  prominent 
on  these  claims,  4  feet  wide  with  serpentine  walls.  There  is  a  crosscut 


14  .MINES   AND    MINERAL    RESOURCES. 

tunnel  on  the  Standard  500  feet  long,  which  cuts  a  4-foot  vein  carrying 
values  in  copper,  gold  and  silver.  From  this  tunnel  there  is  a  drift  run- 
ning southwest  50  feet  and  a  drift  northwest  50  feet  long,  also  a  winze 
60  feet  deep.  Six  hundred  feet  below  No.  1  tunnel,  a  second  crosscut 
tunnel  was  run  500  feet  to  cut  the  vein  deeper  but  failed  to  do  so.  On 
the  "Nome"  there  is  a  28-foot  vertical  shaft  on  the  vein  and  an  open  cut 
on  an  iron  dike  which  is  18  feet  wide.  On  "Discovery"  a  50-foot  verti- 
cal shaft  was  sunk.  This  is  now  caved.  A  crosscut  tunnel  400-feet  long 
failed  to  cut  the  vein.  On  "A  Beauty"  there  is  a  40-foot  vertical  shaft 
sunk  on  a  6-foot  vein  which  assays  10%  copper.  Assessment  work  only 
is  being  done  on  these  claims. 

Idora  Mine.  This  is  only  a  prospect  consisting  of  three  claims  situ- 
ated 9  miles  northwest  from  Low  Divide,  owned  by  William  Ehrman, 
Yarbrough  and  Bricklin.  Development  consists  of  one  crosscut  tunnel 
45  feet  long,  but  has  not  reached  the  vein  yet.  There  is  a  30-foot  incline 
shaft  on  the  vein  which  is  dipping  45°  and  is  3  feet  wide.  Five  hundred 
feet  along  the  vein  has  been  stripped  on  the  surface.  Only  assessment 
work  has  been  done. 

Oriental  Copper  Claim.  There  is  only  one  claim  held  by  location,  and 
owned  by  E.  R.  Jenkins,  of  Crescent  City.  It  is  situated  in  the  Low 
Divide  mining  district,  at  an  elevation  of  1900  feet.  It  has  a  15-foot 
vertical  shaft  on  a  4-foot  vein.  Only  assessment  work  is  being  done. 

DIAMOND  CREEK  DISTRICT. 

Cleopatra  Copper  Claims.  These  claims  are  owned  by  James  D.  Lacey. 
There  were  formerly  twenty-five  claims  held  by  location  and  known  as 
the  Dietrick  group.  Lacey  lapsed  in  assessment  work  on  all  of  the 
claims  except  one,  which  he  retains.  The  claim  is  in  T.  18  N.,  R.  2  E., 
H.  M.,  at  an  altitude  of  2600  feet,  and  is  close  to  the  California-Oregon 
line. 

The  claim  was  located  in  1894,  and  is  a  contact  vein  with  serpentine 
hanging  and  porphyry  footwall.  The  strike  is  north  and  south  and  the 
dip  45°  E.  A  100-foot  crosscut  tunnel  with  a  40-foot  north  drift  and  a 
south  drift  of  80  feet.  No.  2  crosscut  tunnel  is  180  feet  long,  and  No.  3 
crosscut  tunnel  is  130  feet  long  but  did  not  cut  the  vein.  About  200  tons 
of  ore  are  on  the  dump  but  none  has  been  shipped.  Work  ceased  in  1911. 

MONUMENTAL  DISTRICT. 

Hunters  Luck  Claims.  There  are  six  claims  in  this  group,  held  by 
location  since  1907.  They  are  situated  in  T.  18  N.,  R.  3  E.,  at  an  alti- 
tude of  3100  feet,  and  owned  by  J.  W.  Ehrman  and  J.  N.  Britten.  The 
vein  is  on  the  contact  between  serpentine  hanging  and  porphyry  foot- 
wall.  There  are  two  adit  levels,  the  upper  of  which  is  120  feet  long. 


DEL    NORTE    COUNTY.  15 

The  vein  as  exposed  in  this  level  is  8  feet  thick.  The  lower  level  is  160 
feet  long  and  the  vein  as  exposed  is  1  foot  wide.  The  strike  of  the  vein 
is  north  and  south  and  the  dip  50°  E.  Ehrman  lives  on  the  property 
and  is  doing  some  development  work.  The  ores  are  malachite,  bornite 
and  chalcopyrite. 

Britton  No.  1  and  No.  2.  There  are  six  claims  in  this  group,  held  by 
location  since  1904,  situated  on  Patrick  Creek  at  an  elevation  of  1950 
feet.  The  vein  is  quartz  carrying  copper  and  gold,  and  the  walls  are 
andesite.  There  are  three  crosscuts.  The  third  is  340  feet  long.  There 
are  120  feet  of  drifts  and  a  60-foot  winze.  The  strike  of  the  vein  is 
southwest  and  northeast  and  dips  45°  SE.  Only  assessment  work  is 
being  done. 

Klondike  Group.  This  group  consists  of  Klondike  Nos.  1  and  2,  and 
seven  others  located  on  Patrick  Creek,  1  mile  south  of  Monumental.  They 
were  located  by  Luff  &  Duley,  of  Crescent  City.  The  vein  is  quartz 
carrying  marcasite  and  chalcopyrite,  and  is  4  feet  wide.  There  are  three 
tunnels.  Only  assessment  work  is  being  done. 

Lucky  Boy  and  Rosebud.  Property  is  composed  of  two  claims  held 
by  location,  the  Lucky  Boy  since  1901,  and  the  Rosebud  since  1902. 
They  are  situated  in  T.  18  N.,  R.  3  E.,  about  J  mile  west  of  the  county 
road,  and  are  owned  by  Otto  Anderson.  The  vein  is  quartz  carrying 
marcasite  and  chalcopyrite.  There  are  three  veins  on  the  Lucky  Boy, 
all  of  which  have  cut  the  main  vein,  which  is  4  feet  wide  in  the  upper 
workings.  The  strike  of  the  vein  is  southwest  and  northeast,  and  its  dip 
is  southeast.  There  are  two  crosscut  tunnels  on  the  Rosebud,  each  80  feet 
long.  One  cuts  the  vein  17  feet  from  the  portal,  and  the  vein  was  17  feet 
wide.  The  vein  is  quartz  carrying  heavy  iron  sulphides,  not  much 
copper,  and  very  little  gold.  Only  assessment  work  is  being  done. 

Old  Crow.  Consists  of  four  claims,  namely,  the  Bowman,  Morgan 
Nos.  1  and  2,  and  the  Jumper,  all  held  by  location  since  1910,  and  situ- 
ated in  the  Monumental  district  at  an  altitude  of  2800  feet.  They  are 
owned  by  George  F.  Morgan  and  Fred  Bauman.  There  is  a  2-foot  chal- 
copyrite-bearing  quartz  vein  in  porphyry.  The  strike  of  the  vein  is 
north  and  south,  and  the  dip  45°  E.  There  are  two  crosscut  tunnels, 
neither  one  cutting  the  vein.  Only  assessment  work  is  being  done. 

FRENCH  HILL  DISTRICT. 

There  are  several  copper  prospects  in  this  district  that  should  be 
mentioned,  namely— 

Hen-drix  and  Howe,  consisting  of  five  claims  located  in  1911,  and 
owned  by  L.  T.  Hendrix  and  George  W.  Howe. 

Hendrix,  Howe  &  McDonald,  consisting  of  five  claims  located  on 
French  Hill,  located  in  1911,  and  owned  by  L.  T.  Hendrix,  George  W. 
Howe  and  William  McDonald. 


16  MINES   AND    MINERAL   RESOURCES. 

Frank  B.  Edwards,  prospect  situated  -J  mile  east  and  1  mile  south  of 
M';iry  Adams  Station,  in  T.  17  N.,  R.  2  E.  There  is  a  tunnel  30  to  40 
feet  long.  The  ore  is  rich  glance  and  carries  values  in  gold  and  silver. 
Owned  by  Frank  B.  Edwards  of  Crescent  City. 

OTHER  DISTRICTS. 

Preston  Peak  Mine.  This  group  consists  of  two  patented  claims, 
namely,  the  "Hobs"  and  "Copper  Belt,"  located  in  1891;  and  three 
unpatented  claims,  namely,  the  "Mountain  King"  and  two  others, 
located  in  1891.  All  are  situated  in  T.  17  N.,  E.  5  E.,  at  an  elevation  of 
4400  feet.  They  are  owned  by  Charles  A.  Leib,  G.  W.  Young,  H.  Mathey 
and  others,  of  20  Broad  street,  Boston,  Mass.  The  mine  is  in  the  Siskiyou 
Forest  Reserve,  and  reached  by  5  miles  of  wagon  road  and  15  miles  of 
trail  from  Waldo,  Oregon.  It  became  involved  in  legal  difficulties  and 
closed  down  in  1901. 

The  country  rock  is  diorite  and  serpentine,  and  the  vein  is  quartz 
carrying  chalcopyrite,  pyrite,  and  values  in  gold.  The  ore  is  in  the  form 
of  a  series  of  lenses,  having  a  strike  of  about  southwest  and  northeast, 
and  stands  almost  vertical  in  the  serpentine.  The  surface  croppings 
have  been  proven  up  for  a  distance  of  200  feet.  The  mine  is  opened  by 
a  crosscut  tunnel  315  feet,  and  at  a  distance  of  235  feet  from  the  portal 
a  48-foot  winze  in  ore  all  the  way.  There  was  also  37  feet  of  drifting 
done  around  the  ore  body,  and  400  feet  of  drifting  on  the  tunnel  level 
looking  for  more  ore,  but  only  small  kidneys  were  found.  At  650  feet 
below  the  upper  tunnel  a  second  tunnel  was  run  55  feet  in  length,  but  the 
work  was  stopped.  No  ore  was  ever  shipped.  The  mine  has  not  been 
working  for  some  years  and  the  camp  buildings  have  fallen  to  decay. 

Doctor  Rock  Group.  This  group  of  copper  claims,  six  in  all,  are 
situated  in  T.  13  N.,  R,  3  E.,  H.  M.,  at  the  head  of  Blue  Creek,  and 
have  been  held  since  1903.  The  altitude  is  4475  feet.  The  property 
is  owned  by  Mrs.  F.  C.  Marlowe,  Cordelius  Thompson,  A.  J.  Monroe. 
;>ml  F.  B.  Faucett.  The  ore  is  quartz  carrying  chalcopyrite  with  slate 
footwall  and  serpentine  hanging-wall.  The  strike  is  north  and  south 
and  the  dip  uncertain.  The  croppings  have  been  proven  up  for  a  dis- 
tance of  800  feet.  There  is  a  10-foot  shaft  on  "Big  Strike"  claim  and 
a  30-foot  crosscut  tunnel  driven  to  cut  this  shaft  failed  of  its  purpose. 
There  is  a  37-foot  adit  level  on  the  Doctor  Rock  claim.  The  ore  carries 
values  in  gold  and  silver  besides  the  copper.  No  ore  was  ever  shipped 
and  only  assessment  work  is  being  done. 

GOLD— PLACER. 

Almost  all  the  gold  produced  in  the  county  comes  from  the  placer 
mines  of  Smith  River  and  its  tributaries.  The  mines  are  mostly  small 
hydraulic  properties  where  one  or  two  small  giants  are  used  during 


DEL    NORTE    COUNTY.  17 

the  winter  months.  In  some  instances  a  common  fire  hose  and  nozzle 
is  used  on  the  gravel  banks  and  the  water,  collected  from  the  gulches  in 
the  rainy  season,  is  stored  in  small  reservoirs  and  piped  to  the  gravel. 

Aurora  Hydraulic  Mine.  This  property  consists  of  two  claims  of 
40  acres,  located  on  French  Hill,  in  T.  16  N.,  R.  1  E.,  at  an  elevation 
of  1600  feet  and  held  by  location  since  1907  by  Frank  Lind,  the  owner. 
The  gravel  consists  of  high  benches  and  the  water  supply  is  dependent 
on  flood  waters  from  the  gulches  collected  in  a  small  reservoir.  A 
6-inch  canvas  hose  and  a  l|-inch  nozzle  is  used  to  conduct  the  water 
and  wash  the  gravel.  The  gold  is  coarse.  The  mine  is  operated  only 
during  the  winter  months  when  there  is  plenty  of  flood  water. 

Doctor  Young  Hydraulic  Mine.  Consists  of  four  claims  adjoining 
J.  M.  Darnell's  mine  in  the  French  Hill  mining  district  in  Sec.  32, 
T.  17  N.,  R.  2  E.,  and  owned  by  Dr.  W.  S.  S.  Young.  There  is  1  mile 
of  ditch  bringing  water  under  a  50-foot  head  to  one  No.  1  giant 
through  a  7-inch  pipe.  Assessment  work  only  is  being  done. 

Dave  Savoy  Placer  Mine.  Consists  of  two  claims  in  the  French  Hill 
mining  district.  The  gravel  is  ground  sluiced,  the  water  being  col- 
lected in  a  small  reservoir.  Owned  by  Dave  Savoy  and  worked  during 
the  winter  months. 

Elkhorn  Hydraulic  Mine.  The  property  consists  of  2560  acres, 
mostly  bonded,  located  at  the  mouth  of  Patrick  Creek,  in  Sec.  16,  T. 
17  N.,  R.  3  E.,  and  controlled  by  the  Smith  River  Mining  Company 
of  Tacoma,  Wash.  The  property  is  held  by  location  since  1903  and  is 
at  an  elevation  of  1050  feet.  There  are  3  miles  of  flume  which  brings 
water  to  three  No.  2  giants.  There  are  two  camps  with  accommoda- 
tions for  25  to  30  men.  Three  men  are  now  putting  the  flume  in  con- 
dition to  wash  this  winter. 

French  Hill  Placer  Mine.  Situated  in  the  French  Hill  mining  district, 
in  Sees.  32  and  33,  T.  17  N.,  R.  2  E.,  at  an  elevation  of  1800  feet.  There 
are  nineteen  claims,  covering  380  acres,  held  by  location  since  1898  and 
owned  by  J.  M.  Darnell.  The  property  is  a  bench  mine  and  has  5  miles 
of  ditch  carrying  500  inches  of  water  from  Craigh  Creek,  and  has  a  150- 
foot  face.  Two  No.  2  giants  are  used,  and  about  5%  of  the  values  are 
in  platinum. 

George  Washington  Placer  Claims.  These  claims  are  situated  on 
Monkey  Creek  adjoining  the  Elkhorn  hydraulic  mine,  and  taken  togd  her 
with  the  Monkey  Creek  mine,  make  480  acres  of  gravel  which  have  been 
bonded  to  the  "Winnie  Bob"  Mining  Company,  capitalized  for  1,000,000 
shares  in  the  State  of  Washington.  The  property  is  to  be  equipped  willi 
a  hydraulic  plant  soon,  but  only  assessment  work  is  now  being1  done. 


18  MINES  AND   MINERAL   RESOURCES. 

George  Cook  Placer  Mine.     This  mine  consists  of  five  claims  located 

3  miles  south  of  Gasquet  on  the  middle  fork  of  Smith  River.     It  has 

4  miles  of  ditch  and  one  No.  3  giant.    The  water  is  brought  from  Hum- 
boldt  Flat  watershed.     During  the  winter  months  300  to  400  miner's 
inches  are  obtained.    The  claims  are  not  patented.    Considerable  coarse 
gold  and  some  platinum  is  obtained. 

Kaus  Placer  Mine.  Situated  in  Craigh  Creek  mining  district  in  Sec.  1, 
T.  16  N.,  R.  1  E.,  and  owned  by  Antone  Kaus.  Two  claims  have  been 
held  by  location  for  the  last  forty  years.  The  gravel  benches  are  ground- 
sluiced,  the  wrater  coming  through  a  J  mile  ditch,  giving  a  30-foot  fall.  A 
6-inch  pipe  and  a  6-inch  canvas  hose  bring  the  water  to  the  gravel. 
A  2-inch  nozzle  is  used.  The  gold  and  platinum  are  coarse,  and  worked 
during  the  winter  months. 

Myrtle  Creek  Hydraulic  Mine.  Situated  in  the  Myrtle  Creek  mining 
district,  in  Sees.  3,  4  and  10,  T.  16  N.,  R,  1  E.,  at  an  elevation  of  260  feet, 
this  mine  is  owrned  by  the  Myrtle  Creek  Placer  Mining  Company  of 
Crescent  City.  The  property  consists  of  eighteen  claims,  or  360  acres. 
The  gravel  benches  are  washed  by  water  taken  from  a  H-mile  ditch, 
with  a  head  of  75  feet.  Eleven-inch  pipe,  with  one  No.  2  and  one  No.  3 
giant,  is  used.  The  gold  assays  $18.50  to  $19  per  ounce.  The  black 
sands  carry  platinum  in  considerable  quantity. 

Monkey  Creek  Placer  Mine.  Situated  in  the  Monkey  Creek  mining 
district  and  held  by  location  since  1893,  are  seven  claims  owned  by  J.  A. 
liaight  and  D.  Haight.  The  gravel  benches  are  ground-sluiced,  the 
water  coming  through  1^  miles  of  ditch  from  Monkey  Creek.  The  dam 
has  collapsed  and  no  work  outside  of  assessment  work  is  now  being  done. 

Nels  Christ  ensen  Hydraulic  Mine.  This  property  is  situated  300 
yards  from  the  forks  of  Smith  River  and  consists  of  34  acres  of  bench 
gravel,  held  by  location  since  1885  and  owned  by  Nels  Christeusen  of 
South  Fork.  There  is  a  1^-mile  ditch  carrying  500  inches  of  wrater 
with  a  75-foot  fall  through  9  and  12-inch  pipe  to  a  No.  2  giant. 

Oak  Flat  and  East  Fork  Groups.  This  property  consists  of  270 
acres  located  in  the  Patrick  Creek  mining  district  at  an  elevation  of 
1430  feet,  and  is  owned  by  a  party  of  eight  people  (S.  F.  Raymond, 
D.  E.  Raymond,  A.  E.  Newman,  A.  E.  Newman,  Jr.,  C.  Newman,  J.  W. 
Ehrman,  and  Homer  White).  The  mine  consists  of  270  acres  of  bench 
and  creek  gravels.  Water  is  brought  from  Shelly  and  Patrick  creeks 
through  3  miles  of  flume  and  ditch  with  a  head  of  650  feet.  One  No.  2 
giant  is  used.  The  ditch  is  built  for  1J  miles  and  the  remainder  is  now 
under  construction. 

Walter  Crook  Hydraulic  Mine.  This  property  adjoins  Dave  Savoy 
on  French  Hill  in  the  French  Hill  mining  district.  It  consists  of 


DEL    NORTE    COUNTY.  19 

three  claims  owned  by  Walter  Crook  and  held  by  location.  There  is 
1  mile  of  ditch  taking  water  from  Allen  Gulch,  a  tributary  of  Craigh 
Creek,  through  a  7-inch  pipe  to  a  No.  1  giant.  Worked  during  the 
winter  months  only. 

GOLD— QUARTZ. 

The  output  of  gold  from  Del  Norte  County  is  due  entirely  to  the 
placer  mines,  the  production  from  the  quartz  mines  being  nil.  Most  of 
the  ores  from  the  quartz  veins  of  the  county  are  base  and  require  con- 
centration and  shipment.  The  transportation  facilities  are  so  poor  that 
development  of  quartz  properties  is  hindered.  Only  assessment  work  is 
being  done  on  such  prospects  at  present. 

Black  Diamond  Gold  Quartz  Mine.  This  mine  is  at  an  altitude  of 
6500  feet,  and  is  nearly  on  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  county,  about 
8  miles  from  the  Doctor  Rock  mine.  It  consists  of  four  claims  located 
in  T.  14  N.,  R.  4  E.,  H.  M.,  and  held  by  location  by  L.  T.  Hendrix.  The 
vein,  wrhich  is  quartz,  has  a  north  and  south  strike  and  dips  70°  E. 
Trap  rock  forms  the  hanging-wall,  while  the  footwall  is  composed  of 
shale.  The  ore  is  base  and  carries  gold  and  silver  values.  The  vein  has 
been  trenched,  but  no  work  further  than  assessment  has  been  done. 

Hard  Luck  Mine.  This  mine  consists  of  six  claims  situated  on  Monkey 
Creek  in  the  Monumental  mining  district  and  held  by  location  since  1904 
by  J.  N.  Britton,  of  Waldo,  Oregon.  The  vein  is  quartz  carrying  gold 
and  arsenical  sulphides.  The  development  consists  of  two  crosscut  tun- 
nels and  400  feet  of  drifts.  Five  tons  of  ore  were  shipped  to  the  Selby 
smelter  and  are  said  to  have  assayed  $10.40  per  ton  in  gold.  Only 
assessment  work  is  being  done. 

Monumental  Consolidated  Quartz  Mine.  This  property  consists  of 
eight  claims  of  165.28  acres,  located  in  T.  18  N.,  R.  3  E.,  in  the  Monu- 
mental mining  district,  held  by  location  since  1901  by  the  J.  0.  B.  Gunn 
estate  and  Davis.  The  mine  is  at  an  elevation  of  2560  feet.  The  vein 
is  quartz,  carrying  specular  iron  with  gold  values  and  some  copper. 
There  is  a  3-compartment  vertical  shaft  212  feet  deep  and  an  incline 
shaft  to  the  100-foot  level  from  the  ether  shaft.  There  is  J  of  a  mile 
of  drifts,  an  upraise  from  the  100-foot  level  to  the  surface  and  a  winze 
from  the  100-foot  level.  There  are  six  prospect  tunnels  from  30  to  40 
feet  long.  The  ore  is  crushed  in  a  Huntington  mill  and  concentrated 
on  a  Frue  vanner  and  Fender  table,  and  the  concentrates  were  formerly 
shipped  to  Selby.  Power  for  the  mill  is  furnished  by  water  under  150- 
foot  head  through  a  6-inch  pipe  acting  on  two  Pelton  wheels.  The 
winding  engine  was  run  by  steam  and  a  Cameron  shaft  pump  used  to 
unwater  the  shaft.  The  camp  consists  of  a  store,  bunkhouse,  cookhouse, 
office,  laboratory  and  barn,  which  arc  now  in  charge  of  a  caretaker. 


20 


MINES   AND    MINERAL   RESOURCES. 


The  mine  has  been  closed  down  for  several  years  and  the  camp  is  a 
convenient  stopping  place  for  travelers  over  the  main  highway  from 
Oregon  to  Crescent  City. 

Ora  Anna  Quartz  Mine.  This  property  consists  of  one  patented 
and  three  nnpatented  claims,  owned  by  the  Ora  Anna  Quartz  Mining 
Company  of  Crescent  City.  It  is  situated  in  T.  16  N.,  R.  1  E.,  in  the 
Bald  Hills  mining  district,  at  an  elevation  of  1400  feet.  There  are  two 
parallel  veins  between  slate  hanging-wall  and  hard  porphyry  footwall, 
and  the  vein  filling  is  quartz  carrying  gold,  both  free  and  in  the  sul- 
phides. The  average  width  of  the  vein  is  6  feet,  and  the  strike  is  east 


Monumental  Mine  buildings  at  Monumental,   Del   Norte  County,   California. 

and  west,  with  a  dip  of  45°  to  the  north.  There  is  a  tunnel  300  feet  long 
from  which  a  winze  70  feet  deep  has  been  sunk.  There  is  an  upper 
tunnel  40  feet  in  length.  The  equipment  amounts  to  very  little  and 
one  cabin  remains  on  the  property.  Since  1897  only  assessment  work 
has  been  done. 

QUICKSILVER. 

Quicksilver  in  small  quantities  has  been  found  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  county  in  T.  18  N.,  R.  2  E.,  H.  M.,  and  also  on  Diamond  Creek,  a 
tributary  of  Smith  River.  Poor  transportation  facilities  prevent 
development. 


HUMBOLDT    COUNTY.  21 

HUMBOLDT  COUNTY. 

Field  Work  in  September,   1913. 
BLACK  SANDS. 

In  former  years  the  black  sands  of  the  beach  and  bluffs  of  northern 
Humboldt  County  were  successfully  worked  at  Upper  and  Lower  Gold 
Bluffs,  Big  Lagoon,  and  Little  River.  The  gold  was  fine  and  was  saved 
by  the  use  of  the  Oregon  torn  and  ordinary  torn  and  amalgamating 
plates.  After  a  severe  storm  on  the  coast,  the  fine  gold  could  plainly 
be  seen  concentrated  on  the  beach  in  places.  After  the  tide  had 
receded,  pack  mules  were  taken  down  and  the  sand  packed  away  in 
sacks  for  washing.  Many  thousands  of  dollars  were  taken  out  in  this 
manner  but  for  some  reason  the  gold  does  not  concentrate  in  paying 
quantities  now  and  this  method  of  collecting  the  sands  has  been 
abandoned.  At  Upper  Gold  Bluffs,  a  tunnel  through  the  range  of  hills 
dividing  Prairie  Creek  and  the  coast  was  cut  one-half  mile  in  length  to 
bring  water  from  Prairie  Creek  for  washing  the  sands  and  gravels.  The 
locators  of  these  beach  claims  became  involved  in  litigation  with  locators 
of  the  land  as  timber  claims  and  mining  has  been  abandoned  and  the 
plant  is  in  ruins.  The  sands  and  gravels  of  Klamath  River  carry  a  good 
percentage  of  black  sands  having  a  gold  and  platinum  content  and 
some  of  the  hydraulic  mines  are  losing  considerable  of  their  values, 
which  are  carried  away  in  the  heavy  gray  and  black  sands  which 
quickly  clog  the  undercurrent  riffles  and  cause  an  overflow  of  concen- 
trates and  values.  They  are  desirous  of  finding  a  cheap  method  by 
which  these  sands  can  be  worked  continuously  in  connection  with  the 
ordinary  hydraulic  operations,  thereby  not  only  saving  the  values  but 
also  saving  much  lost  time  used  up  in  clearing  the  riffles  of  the  trouble- 
some sands.  Outside  of  the  black  sands  encountered  in  the  hydraulic 
diggings,  there  are  no  other  sands  that  are  being  worked  in  the  county 
at  the  present  time.  The  gold  and  platinum  are  too  fine  and  not  in  suffi- 
cient quantity  to  pay  for  working  with  the  appliances  available  at 
present. 

BUILDING  MATERIALS. 

Brick  and  Tile.  There  are  only  two  companies  in  Humboldt  County 
who  manufacture  brick  or  tile  and  they  are  able  to  supply  the  local  and 
county  demand.  The  Fortuna  brickyard  at  Fortuna  formerly  owned 
by  J.  A.  Thompson  has  been  closed  down  and  Mr.  Thompson  is  now 
interested  in  the  Eureka  Brick  and  Tile  Company  of  Eureka. 

Eureka  Brick  and  Tile  Company.  John  A.  Thompson  and  John 
Porter  own  four  acres  of  clay  land  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city  of  Eureka. 
The  plant  consists  of  one  stiff  mud  brick  and  tile  machine,  one  mixing 


22  MINES   AND    MINERAL    RESOURCES. 

machine,  one  grinding  machine,  one  cut-off  machine,  one  70  horsepower 
engine,  one  boiler,  one  300-barrel  and  one  100-barrel  oil  tank,  water 
tank,  scrapers  and  clay  cars.  Oil  is  used  as  fuel  and  the  plant  has  a 
capacity  of  25,000  brick  per  day.  They  make  tile  3  to  12  inches  in  size 
and  sell  their  brick  at  $10  per  thousand  at  the  plant.  Tiling  is  sold  at 
2  cents  per  foot  for  3-inch  size  up  to  15  cents  per  foot  for  12-inch  size. 
This  tile  is  used  principally  in  land  drainage. 

Humboldt  Clay  Manufacturing  Company.  Lewis  H.  Hess,  president, 
and  W.  Ernest  Dickson,  secretary,  of  Eureka.  They  own  1J  acres 
of  clay  land  adjoining  the  Eureka  Brick  and  Tile  Company  in  the 
suburbs  of  Eureka.  The  plant  consists  of  one  American  Clay  Machin- 
ery Company  clay  machine,  one  mixing  machine,  one  disintegrator,  one 
re-press,  one  cutoff  machine,  one  100  horsepower  engine,  two  boilers, 
one  oil  tank  (500  barrels).  They  sell  the  brick  at  $10  per  1000  at  the 
yard  and  have  a  capacity  of  25,000  brick  per  day. 

There  is  an  excellent  blue  clay  on  Jacoby  Creek  owned  by  J.  A.  Moore 
which  is  well  adapted  for  the  manufacture  of  brick.  Nothing  is  being 
done  with  the  clay  at  the  present  time. 

QUARRIES. 

The  only  quarries  in  the  county  are  those  being  operated  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  rock  to  be  used  in  building  the  jetty  at  the  mouth  of 
Humboldt  harbor  and  for  road  metal. 

Haw  Quarry.  This  quarry  is  owned  by  G.  A.  Dungan  and  I.  M. 
Long,  and  is  situated  in  Sec.  21,  T.  5  N.,  R.  1  E.,  Humboldt  meridian, 
and  6  miles  from  Eureka,  at  an  elevation  of  150  feet.  There  are  700 
acres.  The  rock  is  a  basaltic  lava  termed  tachylite  (Lawson).  The 
plant  consists  of  one  mile  of  standard  gauge  railroad  which  connects 
with  Humboldt  Bay.  There  is  one  locomotive  and  eleven  bottom  dump 
cars,  one  barge,  one  tow  boat,  one  air  compressor,  two  Sullivan  air 
drills,  one  No.  3  gyratory  crusher,  one  12-foot  screen,  drill  tools,  etc. 
The  buildings  consist  of  a  cookhouse,  blacksmith  shop,  powder  house 
and  several  smaller  buildings.  Electricity  is  purchased  at  2  cents  per 
kilowatt  hour.  The  capacity  is  400  tons  per  ten  hours.  The  rock  is 
hauled  by  rail  one  mile  to  the  bay  and  loaded  on  barges  and  towred  to 
Eureka.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  rock  is  3.169  and  contains  42.7  per 
cent  silica.  The  rock  is  used  for  road  metal  and  for  filling. 

Jacoby  Creek  Quarry.  This  quarry  is  leased  by  the  Pacific  Engineer- 
ing and  Construction  Company  of  San  Francisco,  S.  L.  G.  Knox,  presi- 
dent. The  quarry  is  5  miles  from  Arcata  and  the  equipment  consists  of 
5  derricks,  90  cars,  3  barges  and  1  tug,  one  4-drill  compressor,  4  com- 
pressed air  drills,  1  drill  sharpener,  2  hoisting  cranes  and  the  necessary 
drill  steel.  This  company  has  the  contract  for  furnishing  the  fill  for  the 
harbor  jetty  now  being  built.  The  rock  is  a  meta-morphic  sandstone 


HUMBOLDT    COUNTY. 


23' 


and  one  quarry  is  a  mica  schist.  This  company  is  supplying  the  rock 
for  the  construction  of  the  jetty  at  the  entrance  of  Humboldt  harbor. 
Isaac  Minor  Quarry.  This  quarry  consists  of  granite  suitable  for 
building  purposes  and  is  situated  on  Warren  Creek  which  is  a  tributary 
of  Mad  River  in  T.  6  N.,  R.  1  E.  Although  the  rock  is  suitable  for 
building  purposes,  yet  granite  used  in  the  county  for  such  purposes  as 
monuments  is  imported  from  other  parts  of  California.  There  is  so 
little  construction  going  on  in  the  county  that  requires  a  good  building 
stone  that  the  quarries,  or  rather  the  prospective  quarries,  have  not 
been  developed.  The  only  rock  being  used  at  present  is  that  used  for 
road  metal  and  for  the  federal  work  on  the  harbor  jetty. 

CEMENT. 

A  cement  manufactured  from  a  limestone  cropping  on  Jacoby  Creek 
in  Sees.  13  and  14,  T.  5  N.,  R.  1  E.,  on  the  property  of  the  Bayside 
Lumber  Company  has  been  tested  and  an  analysis  made  by  Smith- 
Emery  &  Company  of  San  Francisco,  and  the  following  facts  as  shown 
by  this  tension  curve,  obtained : 


800 /As. 


too 


4oo/6s 


Tension   Curve   of 
HUMBOLDT    BFiY  CEMENT 

- 

^.  —  ' 

—  • 

—  —  • 

-.'  — 

U-— 

—        i 

"  ~~* 

^* 

r" 

s> 

t^ 

s 

s 

x 

X 

X* 

r 

2 

fl/,a//S/s 

Tensile. 
Strength 

/ 

i 

S/'//ca.                            ^/.37 
fl/uiymumOx/de     649 
Ferric  Oxide            2.93 
Calcium  Oxide       6  Z.2& 
Ma.gn  tsium  Oxide     1  £3 
Sulphur  Trioxide      I  60 

I4da.ys  778. 

/ 

/ 

' 

/ 

f 

f-  — 

i 

S/77/V-fr,    Emery  and  Company. 

1 

1 

2/ ofays 


LIMESTONE. 


There  is  considerable  limestone  in  the  county  suitable  for  burning 
for  lime  and  also  for  fertilizer  and  smelter  ftux.  The  most  accessible 
deposits  to  Humboldt  Bay  are  on  Jacoby  Creek  in  Sees.  13  and  14, 
T.  5  N.,  R.  1  E.,  on  the  property  of  the  Bayside  Lumber  Company. 
It  is  3  miles  from  the  bay  and  on  the  railroad.  There  is  also  another 


24 


MINES   AND    MINERAL    RESOURCES. 


deposit  on  Jacoby  Creek  owned  by  J.  A.  Moore  of  Blue  Lakes,  Hurn- 
boldt  County.  The  analysis  by  the  Miller  &  Brown  Company  of  San 
Francisco  gives  the  following  results: 

Analysis   of   Limestone  from   Jacoby   Creek. 

Received  from  State  Mining  Bureau,  1  piece  of  rock  for  analysis. 
Sample  found  to  contain  the  following : 

Silica,  SiO,__  -  1.41% 

Lime,  CaO  53.61%,  CaO.CO2 95.74 

Iron    oxide — Fe2O3 .35 

Alumina — A12O3 .56 

Magnesia — M~gO    Trace 

Water  .01 

Residue  from  carbonaceous  matter .50 


Volatile,  CO2,  H2O,  etc.  =  42.40  per  cent. 


08.57 


There  is  a  large  dike  of  limestone  crossing  in  a  northwesterly  direc- 
tion from  Trinity  County  to  Humboldt  County  in  T.  4  N.,  R.  5  E.,  which 
extends  northwesterly  and  passes  to  the  east  of  Horse  Mountain  and 
cuts  across  Willow  Creek.  This  limestone  formation  has  not  been 
developed  and  is  a  source  of  immense  quantities  of  good  limestone. 

There  is  also  considerable  limestone  in  the  southeastern  section  of  the 
county  which  has  not  been  developed. 

COPPER. 

The  copper  belt  of  Humboldt  County,  as  far  as  development  to  date 
has  proved,  extends  along  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  east  of  the 
redwood  belt  and  extending  from  the  southern  end  of  Del  Norte  County 
south  for  the  entire  length  of  Humboldt  County  and  over  into  the 


Copper   Cropp 


property  of  the   Horse   Mountain   Copper   Mine,   Humboldt  County, 
California. 


HUMBOLDT    COUNTY. 


25 


parts  of  western  Trinity  County  difficult  of  access.  The  copper  of 
Humboldt  County,  like  that  of  Del  Norte  County,  is  associated  with 
serpentine.  There  are  dikes  of  quartzite  and  diorite  protruding 
through  the  serpentine  in  many  instances  and  also  the  mother  rock  of 
serpentine,  called  peridotite,  is  encountered  in  a  more  or  less  altered 
condition. 

The  -principal  district  where  copper  mining  is  being  done  at  the 
present  time  is  Horse  Mountain,  situated  in  T.  5  and  6  N.,  B.  4  E. 
The  ore  on  the  mountain  seems  to  be  of  a  secondary  nature,  consisting 


Camp  buildings  of  the  Horse  Mountain  Copper  Mining  Company,  on  Horse  Mountain, 
Humboldt  County,  California. 

of  bunches  of  impregnated  serpentine  close  to  the  surface,  in  which  the 
values  run  high  in  copper  glance,  bornite,  native  copper,  and  malachite. 
The  general  strike  of  the  formation  is  northwest  and  southeast,  with 
a  dip  to  the  northeast.  The  formation  is  mostly  serpentine,  porphyry 
and  gabbro,  the  latter  having  peridotite  closely  associated  with  it,  from 
the  decomposition  of  which  the  serpentine  is  formed.  Chrome  iron  is 
also  encountered  in  small  quantities  in  the  serpentine. 

There  are  quartz  and  diorite  dikes  protruding  through  these  forma- 
tions all  seeming  to  have  a  northwest  and  southeasterly  direction  and 
a  northeast  dip. 

Next  to  Horse  Mountain,  the  district  where  copper  development  has 
been  done  to  a  considerable  extent  is  I\ed  Cap  Creek.  Several  Copper 


26 


MINES   AND    MINERAL   RESOURCES. 


companies,  namely  the  "Red  Cap,"  "La  Perin"  have  held  claims  on 
the  ridge  between  Boise  and  Red  Cap  creeks  and  have  done  considerable 
work.  Much  rich  copper  ore  has  been  found  in  the  slides  from  the  hills 
but  the  ore  has  never  been  found  in  place.  No  development  is  being 
done  at  the  present  time  and  the  old  tunnels  have  caved  in  and  the 
buildings  gone  to  ruin. 

Nothing  in  the  way  of  development  is  being  done  on  Lassen  Creek  in 
T.  1  S.,  R.  4  E.,  or  on  the  Rainbow  or  Crimson  groups,  in  T.  1  S.,  R.  1  E., 
in  the  Mattole  mining  district. 

Horse    Mountain    District. 

Horse  Mountain  Copper  Mine.  This  property  consists  of  ten  groups 
of  claims,  making  70  claims  in  all.  They  are  unpatented  and  are  situ- 
ated on  Horse  Mountain  in  Sees.  33  and  34,  T.  6  N.,  R.  4  E.,  and 
Sees.  3  and  4,  T.  5  N.,  R.  4  E.,  at  an  altitude  of  5000  feet.  The  prop- 
erty is  owned  by  the  Horse  Mountain  Copper  Company,  which  is  a 


Mill  of  the  Horse  Mountain  Copper  Mine,  Humboldt  County,  California. 


HUMBOLDT    COUNTY.  27 

stock  company.  The  railroad  from  Eureka  runs  to  within  25  miles  of 
the  mine  and  this  distance  is  covered  by  a  good  wagon  road.  The 
original  claims  were  located  by  Dave  Wilson  in  1907.  The  strike  of  the 
formation  is  northwest  and  southeast  and  dips  about  40°  NE.  There 
are  six  crosscut  tunnels  and  one  adit  level,  also  some  open  cuts.  There 
is  3000  feet  of  underground  development,  mostly  drifts  and  crosscuts. 
Steam  supplies  the  power  for  the  sawmill  and  two  Huntington  mills 
(one  being  3^  and  the  other  5  feet).  It  also  furnishes  power  for  a 
Blake  ore  crusher,  two  Dodge  secondary  crushers,  one  Standard  and 
one  United  concentrating  table  and  two  classifiers.  Twenty-six  men 
are  employed  underground  and  on  the  surface.  Some  concentrates 
have  been  shipped  to  Humboldt  Bay  but  have  not  reached  the  smelter. 

The  middlings  are  stored  for  future  treatment.  The  concentrates 
average  20%  copper  and  the  middlings  about  f  %  copper.  The  values 
in  gold  are  about  $4  per  ton  for  the  concentrates.  A  16  h.p.  Corliss 
distillate  engine  furnishes  power  for  ventilating.  Two  50  h.p.  boilers, 
one  14  h.p.  engine,  one  20  h.p.  engine  and  one  40  h.p.  engine  complete 
the  power  equipment. 

The  surface  equipment  consists  of  one  sawmill  with  a  capacity  of 
7000  feet,  one  blacksmith  shop,  one  timber  framing  shop,  barn,  cook- 
house, office,  assay  office,  powder  magazines  and  several  bunk  houses, 
making  35  buildings  in  all.  Scraps  from  sawmill  used  for  fuel. 

Humboldt  Copper  Mine.  This  mine  consists  of  eight  claims  or  160 
acres,  unpatented  ground,  which  adjoins  the  Horse  Mountain  Copper 
mine  on  the  southwest  and  lies  in  Sees.  28  and  29,  T.  6  N.,  R.  4  E, 
and  Sees.  32  and  33,  T.  6  N.,  R.  4  E.,  at  an  altitude  of  4800  feet. 
A  wagon  road  is  25  miles  from  Korvel  to  the  mine.  The  mine  is  owned 
by  the  Humboldt  Copper  Mining  Company  of  Eureka,  T.  L.  Loof- 
bourrow,  president,  and  Kenneth  Newett,  Jr.,  secretary.  The  original 
claims  were  located  in  1905.  The  country  rock  is  mostly  serpentine 
with  dikes  of  porphyritic  diorite  and  granodiorite.  The  ores  consist  of 
chalcopyrite,  chalcocite,  cuprite,  and  free  copper.  The  strike  is  north- 
west and  southeast  and  the  dip  45°  to  the  northeast.  The  underground 
workings  consist  of  three  crosscut  tunnels,  25,  100  and  700  feet,  respec- 
tively. There  are  750  feet  of  drifts,  20  feet  of  winze  and  210  feet  of 
raise.  Assessment  work  only  is  being  done  and  no  ore  has  been  shipped. 
The  surface  buildings  consist  of  a  cook  house,  bunk  house  and  black- 
smith shop. 

Sweet  Home  Copper  Mine.  This  property  consists  of  eight  claims  of 
160  acres  of  unpatented  land  adjoining  the  Horse  Mountain  mine 
and  lies  in  Sec.  28,  T.  6  N.,  R.  4  E.,  at  an  altitude  of  4800  feet.  The 
property  is  owned  by  the  Sweet  Home  Mining  Company  of  Eureka, 
E.  P.  Shier,  president.  A  wagon  road  crosses  the  property  and  is 
within  1000  feet  of  the  main  workings.  The  ores  are  the  same  as  those 


28 


MINES  AND   MINERAL   RESOURCES. 


Horse    Mountain    Copper    Mining    District,    Humboldt    County,    California. 


of  the  Horse  Mountain  mine.  The  strike  is  east  and  west  and  the  dip 
45°  N.  There  are  four  crosscut  tunnels  and  230  feet  of  drifts.  The 
company  is  doing  assessment  work  only  and  some  ore  has  been  shipped 
for  a  test.  The  ores  are  chalcocite,  bornite,  cuprite  and  native  copper. 
The  surface  equipment  consists  of  a  bunk  house,  cook  house  and  a 
blacksmith  shop. 

Ruby  Copper  Mine.  This  property  consists  of  thirty-eight  claims  or 
760  acres  of  unpatented  land  situated  to  the  northwest  of  the  Horse 
Mountain  Copper  mine  in  Sees.  16,  21  and  28,  T.  6  N.,  R.  4  E.,  at 
an  altitude  of  4500  feet.  These  claims  are  owned  by  the  Ruby  Copper 
Mining  Company  of  Eureka,  E.  A.  Walters,  president,  and  Frank  W. 


HUMBOLDT    COUNTY.  29 

Belcher,  secretary.  There  is  a  wagon  road  to  the  mine.  The  original 
claims  were  located  in  1907  and  consist  of  the  Blind  Lead  Group  and 
the  Ruby  Group.  Serpentine  with  dikes  of  porphyritic  diorite  and 
quartzite  makes  up  the  formation  and  the  ores  are  the  same  as  those 
of  the  Horse  Mountain  mine.  The  strike  is  northwest  and  southeast 
with  a  vertical  dip.  The 'underground  workings  consist  of  a  crosscut 
tunnel  510  feet  long  and  250  feet  of  drifting.  A  small  60-foot  shaft 
from  the  surface  is  also  sunk. 

The  surface  buildings  consist  of  a  cook  house,  bunk  house,  blacksmith 
shop,  and  a  timber  shed.  The  mine  is  in  a  developing  stage  and  the 
ores  consist  of  chalcopyrite,  cuprite,  chalcocite,  and  bornite.  There  are 
also  some  black  oxide  ores  and  some  gold  values  are  obtained. 

Mattole    Mining    District. 

Rainbow  Group.  This  copper  prospect,  consisting  of  nineteen  claims, 
is  located  sixty  miles  south  of  Eureka  in  Sees.  19,  30  and  32,  T.  1  S., 
R.  1  E.,  and  also  in  Sees.  12  and  19,  T.  1  S.,  R.  1  W.  Several  trenches 
have  been  cut  across  the  vein  matter  and  some  carbonate  ore  has  been 
opened  up  for  several  hundred  feet  along  the  strike  of  the  croppings. 
No  work  has  been  done  on  this  group  of  claims  for  some  time. 

Crimson  Group.  This  group  of  copper  claims,  consisting  of  80  acres 
of  patented  land,  joins  the  Rainbow  group  of  mines  on  the  south,  and 
is  in  Sec.  8,  T.  2  S.,  R.  1  E.  Several  prospect  holes  have  been  sunk 
over  the  80  acres  and  carbonate  ore  has  been  found.  No  work  has  been 
done  on  the  property  for  some  years. 

COAL. 

There  are  indications  of  lignite  seams  in  several  parts  of  the  county, 
including  the  following  places : 

Maple  Creek. 

East  branch  of  north  fork  of  Eel  River. 

Near  Mrs.  Ray's  house  at  Garberville. 

Mad  River. 

Van  Dusen  River,  two  miles  east  of  Hydesville. 

Crogan  Gulch,  Maple  Creek. 

Buck  Mountain  Creek,  near  Garberville. 
Coal  is  also  found  at  the  following  places  in  the  county: 

On  the  east  branch  of  the  north  fork  of  Eel  River. 

Ten  miles  from  Garberville. 

Jacoby  Creek. 

Two  miles  north  of  Arcata. 

On  the  upper  Mattole  River. 

On  Larribee  Creek. 

3— B144r>«; 


30  MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 

Some  of  this  coal  has  been  burned  in  a  blacksmith  forge  and  found 
to  be  satisfactory.  The  seams,  however,  are  not  wide  and  this  taken 
together  with  the  cost  of  transportation  and  the  cheapness  of  oil  fuel, 
prohibits  the  development  of  these  coal  and  lignite  seams. 

GOLD. 

The  gold  production  of  Humboldt  County  is  not  large,  being  only 
$31,271  for  the  year  1912  (California  State  Mining  Bureau  Bulletin  65). 
This  gold  comes  from  the  placer  mines  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
county,  on  the  Klamath  River  from  the  Hoopa  Indian  Reservation  to  the 
eastern  county  line  and  from  the  south  end  of  the  reservation  southward 
along  the  Trinity  River  to  the  east  line  of  the  county.  There  are  also 
two  quartz  mines  that  are  being  developed,  but  without  any  production 
as  yet.  One  is  on  Red  Cap  Creek,  which  is  a  tributary  of  Klamath 
River,  and  the  other  is  at  the  headwaters  of  Willow  Creek,  which  is  a 
tributary  of  Trinity  River. 

Red  Cap  Mine  (quartz).  Consists  of  ten  quartz  and  three  placer 
claims,  all  unpatented  and  owned  by  a  stock  company  called  the  Red 
Cap  Mining  Company  of  Eureka,  Humboldt  County.  The  claims  are 
located  in  Sec.  33,  T.  10  N.,  R.  6  E.,  on  the  north  fork  of  Red  Cap 
Creek  at  an  elevation  of  2640  feet  above  sea  level.  These  claims  have 
been  held  since  1899.  The  country  rock  is  porphyry  with  diorite  dikes 
intersecting  the  formation.  There  are  four  veins  being  worked  at  the 
present  time.  The  ore  in  the  upper  levels  is  free  milling  and  in  the 
lower  levels  it  is  a  heavy  sulphide  carrying  some  copper.  The  strike  is 
northeast  and  southwest  and  dips  70°  to  the  northwest.  There  are  three 
tunnels  and  280  feet  of  drifts ;  also  a  4-foot  crosscut  tunnel  which  is  the 
lowest  working  tunnel  and  is  only  45  feet  in  length.  There  are  100  feet 
of  raises  and  30  feet  of  winze.  The  mine  equipment  consists  of  the  usual 
strap  iron  tunnel  track,  one  ore  car,  blacksmith  shop,  hand  steel,  etc. 
The  reduction  equipment  consists  of  a  Gardner  crusher,  one  Frue 
vanner  concentrator,  and  amalgamating  plates.  There  is  also  a  wire 
aerial  tramway  from  the  upper  tunnels  to  the  ore  bin  at  the  crusher. 
The  mine  is  only  developing  and  no  ore  is  being  shipped. 

Bonneyville  Quartz  Mine.  Consists  of  six  claims  and  a  fraction  of 
130  acres  of  unpatented  land  owned  by  the  Bonneyville  Mining  Com- 
pany of  Eureka,  F.  E.  Peaslack,  secretary,  and  Charles  Helwig,  presi- 
dent. The  claims  are  located  in  Sec.  15,  T.  6  N.,  R.  4  E.,  at  the  head 
of  Willow  Creek,  which  is  a  tributary  of  Trinity  River,  and  at  an 
elevation  of  1640  feet.  The  claims  have  been  held  since  1912.  The 
country  rock  is  slate  and  porphyry.  The  veins  are  all  in  slate  with  the 
exception  of  one  which  is  a  contact  vein,  the  contact  being  slate  and 
porphyry.  The  strike  of  the  formation  is  northwest  and  southeast  and 
dips  northeast  about  30°.  There  are  four  adit  levels  with  15,  15,  20  and 


HUMBOLDT    COUNTY.  31 

375  feet  of  drifting  done  on  them  respectively.  There  are  two  cross- 
cuts, one  15  feet  and  one  35  feet,  375  feet  of  track  of  strap  iron,  one 
ore  car  and  the  necessary  drill  steel.  There  are  two  cabins  on  the 
property  and  a  road  was  being  built  from  the  county  road  to  the 
property.  A  water  right  of  300  inches  also  belongs  to  the  property. 

Little  Klondike  Mine.  Consists  of  three  placer  claims  and  four 
quartz  claims  owned  by  F.  Lubbs  of  Orleans,  which  adjoin  the  Red  Cap 
mine  at  the  head  of  Red  Cap  Creek.  The  quartz  vein  has  prophyry 
walls  and  is  very  irregular  in  width.  It  frequently  carries  high  values 
in  free  gold  and  in  other  places  traces  of  copper  are  found.  There  is 
one  mile  of  ditch  and  a  cabin  on  the  place.  Only  assessment  work  is 
being  done. 

Quartz  Prospect  on  Pearch  Creek.  This  prospect  is  on  Pearch  Creek, 
2  miles  from  its  mouth  and  3  miles  from  Orleans.  It  consists  of  one 
claim  on  a  vein  which  is  6  to  14  inches  in  width  in  schist  formation. 
It  carries  free  milling  quartz  which  is  crushed  with  an  arrastra  which 
is  run  by  water  power.  The  vein  is  inclined  to  be  pockety  and  the  gold 
is  rather  light,  going  $14  to  the  ounce.  This  prospect  works  in  winter 
only. 

GOLD— PLACER. 

Placer  mining  in  the  county  is  confined  to  the  Klamath  and  Trinity 
rivers,  and  the  season  varies  from  a  few  days  (as  in  the  case  of  the  high 
gravel  banks)  to  several  months  during  the  winter  for  the  lower  bars, 
where  water  can  be  ditched  to  the  property. 

Allen  Mine  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  two  unpatented  claims  owned 
by  A.  II.  Allen  of  Orleans  and  located  in  Sec.  15,  T.  10  N.,  R.  5  E., 
at  the  mouth  of  Red  Cap  Creek  at  an  elevation  of  460  feet.  These 
claims  have  been  held  since  1898.  They  consist  of  bench  gravels  on  a 
slate  bedrock.  There  are  3.4  miles  of  ditch,  1000  feet  of  11-inch  pipe 
and  one  No.  2  giant  served  by  400  inches  of  water  under  a  head  of  80 
feet.  The  gold  is  saved  by  block  riffles,  undercurrent  and  quicksilver. 
The  mine  works  five  months  during  the  winter.  The  gold  mints  $17 
per  ounce  and  has  platinum  associated  with  it  in  small  amounts. 

Bondo  Mine  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  two  claims  of  40  acres. 
formerly  known  as  Croton  Bar  Mine  and  Markeson  Mine,  and  owned 
by  Morris  Bondo  of  San  Diego.  The  property  is  located  in  Sec.  29, 
T.  11  N.,  R.  6  E.,  on  the  Klamath  River,  1£  miles  up  the  river  from 
Orleans.  They  consist  of  bench  gravels,  some  of  the  gravel  beiiiir 
rcnionted.  The  bedrock  is  rough  slate,  the  strata  standing  on  end. 
Tin -re  are  one  mile  of  ditch  and  flume,  1400  feet  of  22-inch,  18-inch, 
15-inch  and  11-inch  pipe,  two  reservoirs  and  two  No.  2  giants.  There  are 
800  feet  of  sluice  and  the  gold  is  saved  by  block  riffles  and  quicksilver. 


32  MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 

There  are  a  house,  blacksmith  shop,  barn,  powder  house  and  a  derrick 
on  the  property.  The  gold  mints  $17.10  per  ounce  and  the  gold  is 
about  the  size  of  wheat. 

Cavanmtgh  Mine  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  one  claim  of  20  acres 
owned  by  C.  A.  Sample  of  1202  I  street,  Fresno.  It  is  located  in  Sec.  1. 
T.  9  N.,  R.  4  E.,  on  the  Klamath  River,  about  3  miles  above  Weitchpec, 
at  an  elevation  of  550  feet.  This  claim  was  located  in  1S70  and  has 
changed  hands  several  times.  The  bedrock  is  an  altered  schist  and 
the  course  of  the  channel  is  east  and  west.  The  property  has  900 
feet  of  ditch  and  brings  300  inches  of  water  from  Boulder  Creek  at  a 
head  of  90  feet.  One  No.  1  giant  with  11-inch  pipe  is  used.  Block 
riffles  with  quicksilver  and  no  undercurrent.  The  gold  assays  $18 
per  ounce.  There  are  two  houses,  one  blacksmith  shop  and  a  barn  on 
the  property.  Work  is  done  only  during  the  winter  months. 

Clover  Flat  Placer  Mine.  Consists  of  170  acres  of  patented  mineral 
land  and  173  acres  of  unpatented  land  owned  by  the  Clover  Flat  Gold 
Mining  Company  of  which  F.  E.  Herrick  is  president  and  L.  B.  Camp- 
ton  is  secretary.  The  mine  is  located  in  Sees.  17  and  20,  T.  7  N.,  R.  5  E., 
on  the  Trinity  River  about  one  mile  north  of  the  village  of  Willow 
Creek  (sometimes  called  China  Flat)  at  an  elevation  of  675  feet. 
The  claims  were  located  in  1870  and  worked  most  of  the  time  up 
to  1912.  The  bedrock  is  slate  and  the  course  of  the  channel  is  north 
and  south.  The  property  has  2J  miles  of  ditch  which  brings  2500  inches 
of  water  under  a  175-foot  pressure.  The  gravel  is  heavy  wash.  Block 
riffles,  undercurrent  and  quicksilver  are  used  for  saving  the  gold.  The 
equipment  consists  of  1000  feet  of  22,  18,  15,  13  and  11-inch  pipe,  Qne 
No.  2  and  one  No.  3  giant,  400  feet  of  sluice,  one  reservoir  covering  an 
acre  of  ground  and  another  reservoir  a  little  less  than  an  acre  in  area. 
A  derrick  is  used  for  moving  large  boulders.  The  gold  assays  $18 
per  ounce.  The  gravels  contain  a  large  percentage  of  heavy  black  and 
gray  sands,  which  cause  considerable  trouble  in  the  riffles  and  under- 
current by  clogging  up  and  causing  the  gold  to  flow  over.  There 
is  one  third  as  much  platinum  as  gold  content.  The  mine  has  shut  down 
until  such  time  as  some  appliances  are  found  for  saving  the  gold  and 
platinum  contained  in  the  heavy  sands. 

Florence  Placer  Mine.  Consists  of  ooie  claim  of  20  acres  of  un- 
patented mineral  land  owned  by  J.  E.  Middlesworth  and  located  in 
Sec.  31,  T.  10  N.,  R,  5  E.,  on  the  Klamath  River  a  little  over  3  miles 
above  Weitchpec,  at  an  elevation  of  570  feet.  This  claim  was  located 
in  1907  by  J.  E.  Middlesworth,  and  has  been  worked  ever  since  during 
the  winter  months.  There  is  a  good  road  to  a  point  on  the  river  opposite 
the  mine.  The  bedrock  is  an  altered  schist.  The  gravel  is  a  medium 
wash  and  the  course  of  the  channel  is  northeast  and  southwest.  There 


!!l-MBOU)T    COl'NTY.  33' 

are  340  feet  of  ditch  which  carries  300  inches  of  water  at  a  40-foot  pres- 
sure. Split  riffles  are  used  in  saving  the  gold.  A  7-inch  pipe  and 
canvas  hose  are  used  for  conveying  the  water  to  a  2^-inch  brass  nozzle. 
The  gold  is  scaly.  It  assays  $18  per  ounce.  There  is  one  cabin  on 
the  property  and  a  pipe  shed. 

Klamath  River  Hydraulic  Mine.  Consists  of  fourteen  claims  or  280 
acres  of  unpatented  mineral  land  formerly  known  as  the  A.  D.  Miller 
mine  and  owned  by  the  Klamath  River  Mining  Company.  The  mine  is 
located  in  Sec.  1,  T.  9  N,  E.  4  E.,  and  Sec.  6,  T.  9  N.,  R.  5  E.,  in 
the  Weitchpec  mining  district  and  about  3  miles  north  of  the  village  of 
Weitchpec,  on  the  Klamath  River.  The  elevation  is  550  feet.  These 
claims  have  been  held  since  1860.  Good  roads  to  the  mine  from  the 
coast,  also  from  Orleans.  There  are  two  miles  of  flume  which  brings 
1500  inches  of  water  under  a  pressure  of  200  feet.  The  gravel  benches 
have  a  northeast  and  southwest  direction  and  the  bedrock  is  an  altered 
schist.  The  gravel  is  a  medium  wash  and  carries  no  cement  gravel.  The 
claims  were  located  in  1860.  An  18-inch  pipe  serves  a  No.  4  giant  and 
16-inch  pipe  for  a  No.  3  giant.  The  present  company  has  been  operating 
for  the  past  three  years.  The  gold  assays  $18  per  ounce. 

Orcutt  Hydraulic  Mine.  Consists  of  one  claim  called  the  Indian 
Jack  and  owned  by  Ira  Orcutt  and  located  in  Sec.  29,  T.  11  N., 
R.  6  E.,  in  the  Orleans  mining  district  about  2  miles  northeast  of  the 
town  of  Orleans.  The  claim  is  unpatented  and  lies  at  an  altitude  of 
500  feet.  These  claims  were  located  in  1891  by  Orcutt  and  have  been 
worked  every  winter  since.  The  bench  gravels  have  a  northeast  and 
southwest  direction  and  the  bedrock  is  slate.  There  is  a  ditch  3  miles 
long  that  brings  500  inches  of  water  under  150  feet  pressure ;  500  feet 
of  11  and  9  inch  pipe  conducts  the  water  to  one  No.  2  giant. 

Orleans  Bar  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  1300  acres  of  patented  mineral 
land  and  about  600  acres  of  unpatented  land  owned  by  the  California 
Alining  and  Dredging  Syndicate  and  located  in  Sec.  1,  T.  10  N., 
R.  5  E.,  Sees.  25  and  36,  T.  11  N.,  R.  5  E.,  Sees.  30  and  31,  T.  11  N., 
R.  6  E.,  on  the  Klamath  River  at  the  town  af  Orleans  at  an  altitude  of 
376  to  3300  feet  above  sea  level.  The  years  of  location  of  the  different 
claims  are  not  given.  The  gravels  are  bench  gravels,  some  being  high 
benches  and  other  low  benches.  There  is  a  good  road  to  the  property, 
cninpleted  during  the  summer  of  1912.  The  claims  are  on  the  Klamath 
Forest  Reserve,  and  the  tailings  are  dumped  into  the  river.  There  is 
a  report  on  the  property  made  by  H.  DeC.  Richards,  E.M.  Water 
is  brought  from  Camp  Creek,  Wilder  Creek  and  other  creeks  and  there 
are  10  miles  of  flumes  and  ditches  which  carry  2000  inches  of  water  that 
can  be  delivered  under  a  head  of  400  feet.  The  course  of  the  channel 
is  northeast  and  southwest  and  the  bedrock  is  slate  and  serpentine. 


34  MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 

The  slate  is  stratified  with  quartz  seams.  The  mine  is  equipped  with 
reservoirs  and  also  has  3000  feet  of  18-inch  and  11-inch  pipe  and  four 
giants,  namely,  one  No.  3,  two  No.  4  and  one  No.  5.  There  are  two 
sawmills,  four  blacksmith  shops,  store,  barn  and  two  dwelling  houses. 
There  is  also  a  machine  shop  with  a  complete  equipment  of  tools. 

Block  riffles  and  undercurrent  with  quicksilver  are  used.  The  mine 
has  not  been  working  for  one  year.  Thomas  M.  Logan  is  president; 
H.  DeC.  Richards,  vice  president  and  general  manager;  D.  F.  Hamon, 
secretary,  and  Dred  T.  Hale,  superintendent. 

Pearch  Mine  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  two  claims,  patented,  owned 
by  P.  L.  Young  and  others  of  Orleans,  and  located  in  Sec.  32,  T.  11 
N.,  R.  6  E.,  about  1  mile  northeast  of  the  town  of  Orleans  on  the 
southeast  bank  of  the  Klamath  River  at  an  elevation  of  537  feet. 
These  claims  were  located  about  forty  years  ago  by  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Pearch,  and  the  names  of  the  claims  are  John  A.  and  Eli  Pearch. 
They  are  on  the  Klamath  Forest  Reserve.  There  is  a  good  road  to  the 
mine  from  Orleans.  The  course  of  the  gravel  channel  is  northeast  and 
southwest  and  the  gravel  is  a  heavy  wash  with  a  little  cement  gravel. 
There  are  1J  miles  of  ditch  and  flume  which  brings  1000  inches  of 
water  from  Pearch  Creek  under  a  head  of  170  feet.  There  are  two 
reservoirs,  1000  feet  of  22,  18,  and  15-inch  pipe,  one  No.  3  and  one 
No.  4  giant.  Eight  hundred  feet  of  sluice  with  block  riffles  and  quick- 
silver are  used  to  save  t^e  gold.  There  are  two  dwelling  houses,  a  barn, 
wagon-house  and  other  small  buildings  on  the  property.  This  mine  is 
in  operation  every  winter. 

Red  Porphyry  Mine  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  four  and  one  half 
claims  or  90  acres  of  unpatented  mineral  land  owned  by  0.  T.  Crowe, 
B.  F.  Hiatt  and  others,  and  located  in  the  Willow  Creek  mining  dis- 
trict in  Sec.  17,  T.  7  N.,  R.  5  E.,  about  2  miles  north  of  the  village 
of  Willow  Creek  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Trinity  River.  Claims  located 
in  1899.  A  good  road  from  Eureka  crosses  the  mine.  The  eleva- 
tion above  sea  level  is  600  feet.  The  mine  is  on  the  Trinity  Forest 
Reserve.  There  are  two  gravel  channels  having  a  north  and  south 
course,  one  bench  being  900  feet  long  and  the  other  about  1200  feet 
long.  The  bedrock  is  a  black  slate.  Water  is  brought  from  Kirkham 
Creek  in  one  mile  of  ditch  and  500  feet  of  flume ;  500  inches  of  water, 
under  250-foot  head,  is  used;  470  feet  of  11-inch  pipe  and  one  No.  2 
giant  are  used;  240  feet  of  sluice  and  32  feet  of  undercurrent,  block 
riffles  and  quicksilver  are  used.  There  are  two  buildings  and  a  black- 
smith shop  on  the  property.  The  mine  was  not  worked  very  extensively 
up  to  1907,  but  since  then  it  has  been  worked  every  winter.  The  gold  is 
fine,  assays  $18  to  $18.25  per  ounce  and  has  platinum  associated 
with  it. 


HUMBOLDT    COUNTY.  3o 

Rocky  Point  Mine  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  three  claims  of  60  acres 
located  twenty  years  ago  and  unpatented.  Owned  by  William  Witt- 
more  and  located  in  the  Orleans  mining  district  in  Sec.  21,  T.  11  N., 
R.  6  E.,  at  an  elevation  of  500  feet.  There  is  a  wagon  road  to  within 
2  miles  of  the  property,  which  lies  3  miles  northeast  of  Orleans 
on  the  southeast  bank  of  the  Klamath  River.  They  are  in  the  Klamath 
Forest  Reserve.  Water  is  brought  from  Wittmore  Creek  by  one  mile 
of  ditch  and  300  inches  of  water  at  150-foot  pressure  is  delivered  to 
one  No.  2  giant  by  600  feet  of  9-inch  pipe.  The  bedrock  is  slate  and 
serpentine  and  the  bench  gravel  has  a  northeast  and  southwest  course. 
There  are  200  feet  of  sluice,  and  block  riffles  and  quicksilver  are  used 
for  catching  the  gold.  There  is  one  house  on  the  property.  The  mine 
works  during  the  winter  months  only. 

Rosalind  Placer  Mine  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  two  unpatented 
claims  owned  by  Lew  Nelson  and  located  in  T.  11  N.,  R.  6  E.,  on  the 
northwest  bank  of  the  Klamath  River  about  eight  miles  from  Orleans 
by  trail  at  an  altitude  of  550  feet.  These  claims  were  located  about 
twenty  years  ago  and  are  in  the  Klamath  Forest  Reserve.  There  are 
two  benches  of  gravel,  both  having  a  northeast  and  southwest  course, 
and  the  bedrock  is  slate.  There  is  -]  of  a  mile  of  flume,  one  large 
reservoir  and  800  inches  of  water  are  brought  to  the  mine  under  a 
400-foot  pressure  through  200  feet  of  21-inch  pipe  and  300  feet  of  15 
and  11-inch  pipe.  Two  No.  2  giants  are  used.  Block  riffles  with  under- 
current and  quicksilver  are  used  for  saving  the  gold.  There  are  one 
house,  a  blacksmith  shop,  derrick  and  a  barn  on  the  property.  The 
gold  is  fine  and  flaky  and  assays  $17  per  ounce.  A  little  platinum 
also  accompanies  the  black  sands.  The  mine  works  only  three  months 
in  the  winter. 

Rough  and  Ready  Placer  Mine  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  40  acres 
of  unpatented  mineral  placer  land,  and  80  acres  of  patented  land, 
formerly  known  as  the  Rough  and  Ready  Placer  and  the  Sarvorum 
placer  groups,  the  former  owned  by  A.  R.  Wilder  and  the  latter  owned 
by  A.  R.  Wilder,  E.  F.  Wilder,  B.  H.  Wilder,  D.  Wilder,  and  N.  Wilder. 
They  are  located  in  Sees.  1,  2,  11  and  12,  T.  10  N.,  R.  5  E.,  in  the 
Orleans  mining  district,  3  miles  southwest  of  Orleans  on  the  south- 
east bank  of  the  Klamath  River.  The  Sarvorum  group  of  80  acres  is 
patented,  while  the  remaining  is  unpatented.  The  Rough  and  Ready 
group  was  located  some  time  in  the  sixties  and  the  Sarvorum  group  was 
located  in  1894.  This  property  is  at  an  altitude  of  500  feet.  The 
gravel  benches  have  a  northeast  and  southwest  course  and  the  bedrock 
is  slate.  Water  is  brought  to  the  property  from  Boise  Creek  and  tribu- 
taries in  4J  miles  of  ditch  and  flume,  100  inches  being  used  under 
250-foot  head.  The  gravel  is  medium  wash  with  large  boulders  on 


36  MINES   AND    MINERAL   RESOURCES. 

bedrock.  There  are  1000  feet  of  11,  9,  and  7-inch  pipe,  one  No.  1  giant, 
200  feet  of  sluice  boxes,  one  barn,  one  small  sawmill  and  several 
smaller  buildings.  The  sawmill  is  run  by  water  power  generated  by  an 
undershot  wheel.  The  gold  assays  $17  to  $17.25  per  ounce.  Small 
spots  of  cemented  gravel  are  found  on  bedrock.  There  is  about  10  per 
cent  loss  in  fine  gold.  The  Rough  and  Eeady  group  is  about  300  feet 
above  the  river  and  the  Sarvorum  is  about  60  feet  above.  The  Sar- 
vorum  is  used  for  ranching  purposes  now.  The  Rough  and  Ready  is 
worked  every  winter. 

Salstrom  Placer  Mine  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  five  claims,  none  of 
which  are  patented.  They  are  located  in  Sec.  1,  T.  10  N.,  R.  5  E., 
and  Sec.  36,  T.  11  N.,  R,  5  E.,  If  miles  southeast  of  the  town  of  Orleans, 
on  the  northwest  bank  of  the  Klamath  River,  at  an  altitude  of  500 
feet.  They  consist  of  gravel  benches.  The  course  of  the  channel 
is  east  and  west.  The  bedrock  is  slste  and  the  wash  is  large  with 
large  boulders  on  bedrock.  The  county  road  runs  through  the  prop- 
erty. These  claims  are  owned  by  Jonas  Salstrom  of  Orleans.  The 
property  is  in  the  Klamath  Forest  Reserve.  Water  is  brought  from 
Crawford  Creek  in  f  of  a  mile  of  flume;  800  inches  under  185-foot 
pressure  is  delivered  in  1500  feet  of  24  and  15-inch  pipe  to  one  No.  2 
and  one  No.  3  giant.  These  claims  were  located  first  in  1852  and 
relocated  in  1890.  One  claim  was  located  in  1910.  Fourteen  hundred 
feet  of  sluice  boxes  are  used  and  block  riffles  with  quicksilver  are  used 
to  save  the  gold.  There  is  a  dwelling  house,  blacksmith  shop,  tool 
house,  sawmill  and  barn  on  the  place.  The  sawmill  is  run  by  water 
power.  A  small  amount  of  platinum  accompanies  the  gold.  At  the 
present  time  the  mine  can  only  work  nine  weeks  during  the  winter 
months,  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  water.  The  gold  is  flaky  and 
assays  $17  per  ounce. 

Thompson  Bar  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  four  unpatented  claims 
located  in  the  Weitchpec  mining  district  about  halfway  between  Weitch- 
pec  and  Orleans,  on  the  northwest  bank  of  the  Klamath  River,  in  Sec. 
20,  T.  10  N.,  R.  5  E.,  at  an  altitude  of  650  feet.  They  are  owned  by 
William  M.  Salsbury,  who  located  them  in  1907.  The  county  road 
passes  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  The  mine  consists  of  bench 
gravels  on  a  slate,  serpentine  and  schist  bedrock.  The  course  of  the 
channel  is  northeast  and  southwest.  The  gravel  is  small  wash  witli 
large  boulders  on  bedrock.  Water  is  brought  from  three  small  creeks 
south  of  Red  Cap  Creek  in  2^  miles  of  ditch  and  flume  under  200 
feet  head.  Three  hundred  inches  are  used.  Hungarian  riffles  and 
quicksilver  are  used  to  save  the  gold.  During  the  last  three  years  no 
work  in  the  way  of  washing  has  been  done  on  account  of  the  ditch 
being  carried  away  frequently  by  the  side  hill  sliding  out.  Eighty-four 
feet  of  sluice  boxes  carry  the  gravel  into  the  river.  The  gold  is  flaky 


IIUMBOLDT    COUNTY. 


37 


and  assays  $17  per  ounce.    No  platinum  contained  in  the  gravel.    There 
are  300  feet  of  11-inch  pipe  from  the  ditch  to  the  No.  2  giant. 

Weitchpec  Bar  Mine  (hydraulic).  Consists  of  one  unpatented  claim 
of  20  acres  located  in  the  Weitchpec  mining  district  at  the  village  by 
that  name  in  Sec.  10,  T.  9  N.,  R.  4  E.,  at  an  elevation  of  640  feet, 
and  owned  by  J.  C.  Gist.  The  county  road  runs  through  the  property. 
The  bench  gravels  have  a  northwest  and  southeast  direction  and  the 
bedrock  is  an  altered  schist.  The  gravel  is  medium  size  and  loose.  Water 
is  taken  from  Weitchpec  and  Ben  creeks  and  the  Klamath  River,  300 
inches  being  brought  to  the  mine  in  one  mile  of  flume  and  ditch  and 
under  125  feet  pressure.  There  are  250  feet  of  15-inch  pipe  and  1000 
feet  of  11-inch  pipe,  three  giants,  Nos.  1,  2,  3.  One  derrick  for  handling 
boulders,  250  feet  of  sluice  boxes.  Block  riffles  and  quicksilver  used  to 
save  the  gold.  There  are  a  house  and  a  barn  on  the  mine.  The  gold 
is  flaky.  The  mine  works  every  winter  and  generally  closes  down 
the  first  of  June.  There  is  some  platinum  in  the  gravels. 


Briceland    Estate    Gas    Well    at    Briceland,    Humboldt    County,    California. 


4— 


38  MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 

NATURAL   GAS. 

As  mentioned  under  oil,  a  gas  suitable  for  illuminating  and  fuel 
purposes  flows  from  some  of  the  wells  in  the  oil  district  of  the  county. 
There  are  many  instances  where  gas  is  escaping  from  oil  seepages, 
but  only  in  two  instances  is  the  gas  in  sufficient  quantity  to  be  useful 
for  domestic  purposes. 

Frank  Peters  Gas  Well.  There  are  three  springs  on  Frank  Peters' 
land  in  the  village  of  Capetown  in  Sec.  13,  T.  1  N.,  R.  3  W.  The  gas 
is  tanked  and  used  in  the  house  for  lighting  and  fuel  purposes. 

Briceland  Estate  Gas  Well.  A  gas  well  is  located  on  this  estate 
at  the  town  of  Briceland  in  Sec.  18,  T.  4  S.,  R.  3  E.  The  well  is  780 
feet  deep  and  has  7f-inch  casing.  The  well  is  capped  and  the  gas  is 
drawn  off  by  a  1-inch  pipe  for  lighting  the  houses  of  the  town  of  Brice- 
land, No  storage  tank  is  used,  consequently  the  pressure  is  rather 
low  after  a  few  hours'  use. 

GRAPHITE. 

Graphite  of  an  impure  quality  is  found  at  Otto  Rest  on  the  South 
Fork  of  Trinity  River  on  the  line  of  the  new  state  highway,  also  in  T. 
10  N.,  R.  4  E.,  and  a  little  near  the  city  of  Eureka.  No  development 
has  been  done. 

IRON. 

Vivianite  (phosphate  of  iron)  is  found  on  Maple  Creek  and  also  at 
Yager.  Hematite  boulders  in  large  quantities  are  found  on  the  ocean 
beach  4  miles  south  of  Centerville.  Soft  red  hematite  also  occurs  on 
James  Creek.  2  miles  northeast  of  Arcata.  No  development  is  being 
carried  on  with  these  deposits. 

MINERAL  WATERS. 

At  the  present  writing  no  mineral  water  is  shipped  out  of  the  county, 
although  arrangements  are  being  made  to  place  the  output  of  a  new 
spring  on  the  market  in  the  near  future.  There  are  not  many  mineral 
springs  in  Humboldt  County.  Some  years  ago  a  spring  was  being 
used  by  the  Humboldt  Mineral  Water  Company.  It  was  located  at 
Flannigan's  mill,  2  miles  south  of  Eureka  on  the  edge  of  the  bay,  and 
owned  by  the  Bayside  Lumber  Company.  The  waters  were  bottled  for 
local  consumption  until  another  firm  began  to  bottle  and  charge  the 
city  water  for  local  consumption. 


HUMBOLDT    COUNTY. 


39 


The  waters  from  the  above  mentioned  spring  contained  the  following 
ingredients : 

Sodium  chloride 32.91 

Calcium  carbonate   1G.37 

Magnesium  carbonate 10.63 

Sodium  carbonate : 2.45 

Silica 1.32 

Aluminum    .20 

Iron   oxide   .OG 

Traces  of  sulphates  and  organic  matter  and  abundant  carbonic  acid. 

Felt's  Springs.  These  springs  are  situated  on  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, 1  mile  west  of  Strongs  Creek  and  5J  miles  northeast  of  Fortuna, 
in  T.  3  N.,  R.  1.  E.,  H.  M.  There  are  three  sulphur  springs  close 
together,  and  at  one  time  hotel  accommodations  could  be  had  at  the 
springs. 

Waters  contain  the  following  minerals: 

Sodium  chloride 

Sodium  carbonate 

Potassium  chloride 

Potassium  carbonate 

Potassium  sulphate 

Calcium  carbonate 


Magnesium  chloride 

Magnesium  carbonate 

Manganese 

Traces  of  iron 

Alumina 

Silica. 


laguct  Mineral  Water.  This  spring  is  situated  on  the  water  front 
of  the  city  of  Eureka  on  the  property  of  the  Pacific  Oil  and  Fuel  Com- 
pany. At  one  time  the  mineral  water  bubbled  from  the  mud  flats  of 
the  bay  until  a  bulkhead  was  put  in  and  the  spring  piped  up  to  the 
level  of  the  wharf.  A  pump  is  now  used  for  securing  the  water  and 
the  spring  is  visited  by  many  of  the  residents  of  the  city.  The  Indians 
are  supposed  to  have  used  the  water  years  ago  and  the  Indian  name  of 
"lagua,"  meaning  "Good  morning,"  still  clings  to  it.  An  analysis 
made  by  Professor  "William  D.  Johnson  in  1885,  gives  the  following 
ingredients : 


One  TJ.  S.  gallon 


Contains 
in  grains 


Sodium  chloride  

Sodium  carbonate  

Sodium  bromide  

Potassium  sulphate  

Magnesium   chloride   

Magnesium  sulphate 

Calcium  carbonate   

Calcium    sulphate    

Alumina  

Silica    

Ferrous    carbonate   

Traces  of  manganese,  boracic  acid,  iodine  and  lithium. 


1,403.00 

10.10 

14.00 

12.20 

101.00 

211.30 

3.80 

42.50 

1.30 

0.95 

0.12 

1,800.27 


40  MINES   AND    MINERAL   RESOURCES. 

There  is  carbonic  acid  gas  in  small  amounts  and  the  water  is  satu- 
rated with  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  This  mineral  water  is  being  placed 
on  the  market  in  San  Francisco  by  George  A.  Knight,  who  owns  the 
spring. 

Cooks  Springs.  These  springs  are  situated  on  North  Yager  Creek, 
35  miles  east  of  Eureka.  They  are  sulphur  and  iron  springs  but  have 
not  been  exploited. 

Mountain  View  Spring.  This  spring  is  situated  on  Mad  River,  28 
miles  from  Eureka,  and  is  a  small  spring  smelling  strongly  of  sulphur- 
etted hydrogen. 

Yager  Creek  Springs.  They  are  located  on  the  headwaters  of  Yager 
Creek  on  the  ridge  between  it  and  Mad  River.  No  improvements  have 
been  made  on  the  property. 

OIL. 

Oil  was  known  by  the  white  man  to  exist  in  the  southwestern  portion 
of  Humboldt  County  as  early  as  1860  and  by  the  Indians  even  before 
this  time.  Oil  was  collected  from  seepages  at  times  and  used  for  sup- 
posed medicinal  properties  that  it  possessed.  After  the  collapse  of 
the  oil  boom  in  the  eastern  states  in  1861  and  1862,  people  again  began 
to  make  investments  in  oil.  The  people  of  California  hoped  to  find  an 
oil  field  in  this  State  similar  to  that  in  Pennsylvania.  Samples  of  oil 
were  collected  from  the  different  seepages  in  the  county,  an  oil  boom 
started  and  many  locations  made.  The  town  of  Petrolia  was  laid  out 
and  times  were  good  for  a  while.  It  was  very  difficult  and  expensive 
to  transport  supplies  and  machinery  to  the  oil  district,  as  roads  were 
few  and  the  steamers  made  their  landing  at  Eureka  and  freight  had  to 
be  shipped  to  the  oil  district  by  freight  teams. 

The  principal  oil  field  extended  from  the  coast  line  at  Capetown 
thence  in  a  southeasterly  direction  to  Garberville,  on  the  south  fork  of 
Eel  River,  a  distance  of  about  42  miles  in  length,  and  from  the  Rain- 
bow ridge  on  the  northeast  to  the  Cooskie  range  on  the  southwest,  a 
distance  of  12  miles.  This  district  may  be  divided  into  the  Bear  River 
district,  which  includes  Bear  River  and  its  tributaries;  the  second  or 
Lower  Mattole  River  and  lower  north  fork  of  Mattole  River,  and  the 
third  or  the  Upper  Mattole  River  and  upper  north  fork  of  Mattole 
River.  The  fourth  district  embraces  the  territory  in  the  vicinity  of 
Bricelaud  and  Garberville. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Briceland  the  general  strike  of  the  formation  is 
northwest  and  southeast.  In  some  places  the  formational  series  of 
metamorphic  gray  sandstones  and  shales  contain  no  fossils  but  are 
thought  to  be  of  Cretaceous  age.  In  other  places  a  series  of  sandstones 
and  shales  containing  fossils  of  Neocene  age  are  noted  lying  11011- 


IH'MBOLDT    COITNTY.  41 

conformably  on  the  sandstone  and  shale  of  Cretaceous  age.  The 
Cretaceous  rocks  are  lying  at  a  fairly  steep  dip  and,  in  places,  carry 
pel  i  oleum  and  gas.  There  are  numerous  seepages  of  oil  throughout 
the  district,  and  oil  can  be  gathered  at  these  places  in  small  quantities. 
Gas  also  is  found  escaping  through  the  oil  and  water  in  these  springs. 

The  oil  in  the  Petrolia  district  is  of  a  dark  green  color,  while  that 
of  the  Briceland  district  is  more  reddish  in  color.  Both  oils  are  of  a 
paraffine  and  olefine  base  with  a  specific  gravity  (at  64°  F.)  of  0.8229, 
which  is  equal  to  39.8°  Baume.  It  had  a  flash  test  of  73°  F.  and  a 
fire  test  of  84°  F.  and  has  high  burning  qualities.  The  oils  contain 
a  high  percentage  of  paraffine  wax  and  produce  a  fairly  good  quality 
of  lubricating  oil  and  a  high  grade  cylinder  oil. 

Distillation  percentages  obtained  from  Humboldt  County  oils:  25.1 
per  cent  engine  distillate  50°  gravity  Baume  at  60°  F. ;  35.2  per  cent 
water  white  refined  oil  with  fire  test  of  123°  F. ;  7.75  per  cent  white 
neutral  oil  at  35.5°  gravity  Baume  at  60°  F. ;  29.90  per  cent  lubricating 
oil  of  28°  gravity  Baume  at  60°  F. 

Union  Well.  Drilling  for  oil  in  Humboldt  County  began  in  the  year 
1865  and,  according  to  men  familiar  with  oil  development  in  the  county, 
the  first  well  was  called  the  Union  and  was  drilled  in  that  year  under 
the  auspices  of  Hon.  L.  Stanford.  This  well  was  drilled  in  Sec.  30, 
T.  1  S.,  R.  1  W.  (all  wells  referred  to  the  Humboldt  meridian),  and 
was  500  feet  deep.  It  is  reported  to  have  been  a  10  to  15-barrel  well. 
The  oil  had  to  be  pumped.  For  the  log  see  the  seventh  report  of  the 
State  Mineralogist. 

Brown  and  Knowlcs  Well  This  well  is  situated  in  Sec.  24,  T.  1  S., 
R.  2  W.,  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Mattole  River.  It  was  drilled  to  a 
depth  of  300  feet,  but  no  oil  was  obtained.  No  gas  or  water  flowed  from 
the  well. 

Henderson  Well.  This  well  was  situated  in  Sec.  15,  T.  1  S.,  R.  2  W., 
and  was  drilled  to  a  depth  of  500  feet.  It  was  reported  as  a  10-barrel 
well  and  had  to  be  pumped. 

McXutt  Gulch  Well.  Situated  in  Sec.  30,  T.  1  S.,  R.  1  W.,  and  was 
down  300  feet.  It  was  drilled  in  1865  and  gave  only  a  few  barrels. 

Burrows  Well.  This  well  was  situated  in  Sec.  5,  T.  2  S.,  R.  1  W., 
and  was  drilled  by  the  Far  West  Oil  Company  in  1892  on  Buckeye 
Creek.  At  a  depth  of  500  feet,  a  flow  of  5  barrels  was  obtained.  At 
800  feet,  the  string  of  tools  was  lost  and  the  well  was  abandoned. 

Davis  Creek  Well.  This  well  is  situated  in  Sec.  13,  T.  1  S.,  R.  3  W., 
and  was  drilled  in  the  year  1893  by  the  Far  West  Oil  Company.  Drill- 
ing was  continued  to  800  feet,  at  which  depth  the  casing  was  pulled  and 
the  well  abandoned.  Whether  oil  was  obtained  is  not  known. 


42  MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 

Mackintosh  Well  Situated  in  Sec.  29,  T.  1  S.,  R.  2  E.  It  was  drilled 
in  1902  to  a  depth  of  1700  feet,  and  the  flow  is  reported  to  have  been 
15  barrels  of  45°  gravity  oil. 

Craig  Well.  This  well  is  situated  in  Sec.  30,  T.  1  S.,  R.  1  W.,  and 
was  drilled  in  1902  to  a  depth  of  700  feet.  Another  hole  was  put  down 
to  a  depth  of  800  feet,  but  the  results  were  not  satisfactory. 

Wild  Goose  Wells.  These  wells  are  situated  in  Sec.  15,  T.  1  S., 
R,  2  W.,  and  were  drilled  in  1901  and  1902,  one  to  a  depth  of  700  feet 
and  the  other  to  1033  feet.  No  oil  was  obtained  in  the  700-foot  well, 
but  in  the  other  oil  was  obtained  at  a  depth  of  221  feet.  Oil  sands  60 
feet  thick  were  passed  through,  and  from  these  the  drill  passed  into 
black  shale.  At  300  feet  the  water  was  shut  off,  and  at  400  feet  a 
small  quantity  of  oil  was  obtained.  The  next  40  feet  the  formation 
was  limestone,  but  a  thin  oil  sand  was  struck  at  441  feet.  At  555  feet 
gas  was  encountered  in  large  quantities  sufficient  to  throw  the  string 
of  tools  from  the  casing.  At  775  feet  an  oil  sand  yielded  a  flow  of  15 
to  20  barrels.  At  1033  the  string  of  tools  was  lost  and  the  well  aban- 
doned. Water  is  now  flowing  from  the  wrell. 

Humboldt  Well.  This  well  is  situated  in  Sec.  6,  T.  2  S.,  R.  1  W., 
and  was  drilled  in  1901  and  1902  to  a  depth  of  2000  feet.  The  forma- 
tion was  black  shale  all  the  way.  Only  a  trace  of  oil  was  found  at  1200 
feet,  and  the  well  was  abandoned. 

Hoaglin  Well.  This  well  is  situated  in  Sec.  2,  T.  3  S.,  R.  1  W., 
and  was  drilled  in  1901  and  1902  by  the  Mattole  Paraffine  Company. 
It  was  drilled  to  a  depth  somewhere  between  1700  and  1800  feet.  Some 
oil  at  1600  feet  was  obtained  but  the  quantity  could  not  be  ascertained. 

Reed  Well  Located  in  Sec.  14,  T.  1  S.,  R.  2  W.,  this  well  was  drilled 
in  1901  and  1902  to  a  depth  of  400  feet.  Only  gas  was  obtained.  The 
company  leased  considerable  land  but  did  very  little  work. 

Bear  River  Oil  Wells.  One  well  was  drilled  in  Sec.  12,  T.  1  N., 
R  3  W.,  close  to  the  village  of  Capetown.  Three  wells  were  drilled  in 
Sec.  16,  T.  1  N.,  R.  2  W.  The  wells  were  drilled  to  a  depth  of  a  few 
hundred  feet,  but  no  oil  was  obtained,  and  the  works  were  abandoned. 

Briceland  Oil  and  Land  Company's  Well.  This  well  is  situated  5 
miles  southeast  of  Garberville  and  was  drilled  to  a  depth  of  2100  feet. 
Oil  sands  at  410  feet  wrere  encountered  carrying  a  little  oil  and  at  503 
feet  the  drill  entered  granite.  The  remaining  1597  feet  of  the  well 
were  drilled  in  the  granite  formation.  The  well  was  abandoned. 

There  are  many  seepages  of  oil  throughout  the  region,  occurring  at 
points  of  fracture  in  the  formation,  some  being  in  the  Mattole  River 
and  a  number  in  the  creek  beds.  The  oil  is  light,  and  no  doubt  much 
of  it  has  evaporated.  Not  being  of  an  asphalt  base,  the  dark  stain  is 


Jll'MBOLDT    COUNTY. 


43' 


not  so  apparent  in  the  discoloration  of  the  sandstone  formation  at  these 
points  of  seepage.  On  breaking  the  sandstone,  the  odor  of  petroleum 
is  very  noticeable.  Considering  the  broken  condition  of  the  sandstone 
and  shale  formations,  the  amount  of  oil  seeping  from  the  fractures  is 
very  small  compared  with  other  oil  fields.  The  oil  sands  are  rather 
thin  so  far  as  proven.  This  is  also  true  of  the  oil-bearing  shales  of  the 
district. 

The  wells  drilled  heretofore  have  not  been  located  with  any  geological 
skill.  Most  of  them  have  been  drilled  in  close  proximity  to  a  fracture 
in  the  formation  where  oil  was  exuding.  In  other  instances  money 


PORTION  OF 
HUMBOLDT  COUNTY 

SHOWING 
OIL  OCCURRENCES 


CALIFORNIA  STATE  MINING  BUREAU 

FMcKHamilton  State  Mm«r«l ofl, M 

RPMcLautfWin  OnefofTttroleumDepl 


44  MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 

has  been  wasted  in  the  drilling  operations.  The  instance  of  a  weli 
being  drilled  in  granite  will  serve  to  illustrate  this  point. 

The  dip  of  the  formation  is  mostly  to  the  northeast,  but  at  Briceland 
there  is  a  section  of  sandstone  having  a  dip  to  the  southwest.  A  com- 
pany is  now  said  to  be  organizing  under  the  direction  of  Briceland 
people  to  drill  in  this  formation.  Aside  from  this,  there  is  at  present 
no  activity  in  the  oil  district  of  the  county.  Many  reasons  for  the 
failure  to  continue  drilling  in  this  field  have  been  advanced,  among 
them  being  the  withdrawal  of  the  land  from  sale  and  holding  it  as 
mineral  land  subject  to  entry  as  such.  Taken  together  with  expensive 
transportation  and  competition  with  cheap  oil  from  Pennsylvania, 
these  two  causes  are  said  to  have  been  the  reasons  for  quitting  in  1867. 
However  true  this  may  be,  it  remains  to  be  proven  that  there  are  wells 
in  the  district  that  are  capable  of  producing  oil  in  sufficient  quantities 
to  pay  to  work  them  commercially,  even  under  favorable  conditions. 
So  far,  only  small  producing  wells  have  been  found. 

Bibl.:  Keport  VII,  pp.  195-200;  VIII,  p.  216;  X,  207;  XI, 
pp.  227-232;  Bull.  19,  pp.  161-166;  Bull.  69,  pp.  444-454. 

OCHRE. 

There  are  deposits  of  red  ochre  of  good  quality  near  Garberville 
and  also  8  miles  from  Ferndale.  No  development  has  been  done. 


MENDOCINO    COUNTY.  45 

MENDOCINO  COUNTY. 

Field  Work  In  October,  1913. 
BRICK  AND  TILE. 

Brick  and  tile  were  manufactured  at  one  time  near  the  coast  at  the 
town  of  Mendocino  and  also  at  the  county  seat,  Ukiah.  Good  clay 
deposits  are  available  at  these  places  but  the  demand  for  the  product 
was  not  sufficient  to  make  the  business  a  profitable  one,  consequently  the 
yards  closed  down.  All  brick  and  tile  are  now  imported  into  the 
county  from  San  Rafael  by  way  of  the  California  Northwestern  Pacific 
Railroad. 

COAL. 

Lignite  is  found  at  several  localities  in  the  county,  where  it  usually 
occurs  in  thin  seams  from  a  few  inches  to  a  foot  in  thickness.  Three 
parallel  beds  of  lignite  traverse  the  county  in  a  direction  parallel  to 
the  coast  line. 

The  most  western  bed  lies  12  to  25  miles  inland  from  the  coast. 
There  are  croppings  of  this  bed  at  Dooling's  Canyon,  Ackerman  Creek 
near  Ukiah,  in  Walker  Valley  4  miles  south  of  Willits,  at  the  head  of 
Ten  Mile  River,  on  Mill  Creek  and  also  in  Humboldt  County.  This  bed 
consists  of  small  seams  of  coal  of  good  quality  but  does  not  occur  in 
payable  quantities.  Some  of  the  coal  will  coke  and  some  has  been  used 
in  blacksmiths'  forges  with  success. 

The  third  bed  lies  15  to  20  miles  still  farther  inland  and  contains  a 
vein  of  considerable  thickness.  The  principal  outcrop  occurs  on  the 
middle  fork  of  the  Eel  River  near  the  mouth  of  Salt  Creek  and  about 
4  miles  from  the  railroad  at  the  forks  of  South  Fork  and  Middle  Fork  of 
Eel  River.  This  bed  of  coal  has  been  traced  for  a  distance  of  10  miles, 
7^  miles  being  on  patented  land  owned  by  James  Flood  and  2^  miles  on 
patented  land  owned  by  W.  P.  Thomas  and  associates,  of  Ukiah.  Four 
or  5  miles  of  the  croppings  have  been  proved  up,  and,  as  far  as  devel- 
oped, the  vein  appears  to  average  about  16  feet  in  thickness.  The  bed 
begins  in  Sec.  9,  T.  22  N.,  R.  13  W.,  and  takes  a  southeast  direction  for 
10  miles  to  Sec.  36,  T.  21  N.,  R.  13  W.,  cutting  across  the  middle  fork  of 
Eel  River.  The  croppings  on  the  river  opposite  Salt  Creek  have  been 
developed  to  some  extent  and  found  to  dip  31°  northeast.  The  thick- 
ness at  this  point  is  14  feet,  with  a  seam  of  whitish  slate  3  to  6 


46  MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 

inches  thick  near  the  middle.     The  section  of  the  formation  here  shows 
the  following  strata : 

Top  stratum  not  exposed. 

Blue  clay  shale  weathering  to  small  fragments 20  feet 

Coal  of  good  quality  and  luster 5  feet  6  inches 

Soft  white  slate  containing  sulphate  and  carbonate  or  lime_  3  inches 

Coal  of  dull  luster 8  feet 

Sticky  blue  clay  containing  minute  shells 21  feet 

Some  clay  containing  oyster  shells 1  foot 

Soft  gray  agglomerate  containing  clay,  fragments  of  serpen- 
tine and  sandstone 5  feet  G  inches 

Soft  greenish   metamorphic  sandstone 30  feet 

Serpentine  beneath. 

In  a  cliff,  about  80  feet  high  which  is  about  1000  feet  up  the  river, 
a  hard  greenish  metamorphic  rock  is  exposed,  the  strata  of  which  seem 
to  lie  conformably  upon  the  coal.  About  J  mile  north  from  the  crop- 
pings  and  about  300  feet  above  the  river  several  openings  in  the  hill 
have  been  made  and  a  tunnel  said  to  be  400  feet  long  has  been  run 
on  the  vein  in  a  direction  of  N.  10°  E.  About  50  feet  of  this  tunnel  is 
still  open  but  the  rest  has  caved.  Sixty  feet  above  the  mouth  of  this 
tunnel,  an  incline  shaft  has  been  sunk  on  the  dip  of  the  vein  to 
a  depth  of  30  feet.  This  shaft  is  in  coal  all  the  way,  being  7  feet  high, 
with  coal  exposed  in  both  the  roof  and  floor. 

Below  the  coal  bed  and  to  the  west  of  the  workings  a  hard  meta- 
morphic sandstone  is  exposed  but  its  position  and  thickness  could 
not  be  judged.  A  few  hundred  feet  east  of  these  openings,  meta- 
morphic rock  again  occurs  and  rises  in  the  form  of  a  cliff  400'  to  500' 
high,  forming  a  sentinel  rock  for  the  surrounding  country.  It  is 
to  be  noted  that  the  coal  occurs  in  a  seam  between  the  beds  of  highly 
metamorphosed  rock  without  itself  having  undergone  any  great  change 
in  structure  or  composition. 

Coal  also  outcrops  about  1  mile  southeast  of  the  mouth  of  Salt  Creek. 
The  underlying  stratum  here  is  a  white  colored  rock  composed  of  a 
mass  of  broken  shells  and  the  strike  is  south  35°  east.  Still  another 
mile  up  the  creek,  there  is  another  outcrop  on  which  some  prospect 
holes  have  been  sunk  to  prove  up  the  seam.  The  coal  has  been  traced 
northwesterly  from  the  river  and  the  same  vein  is  supposed  to  extend 
into  Round  Valley.  The  coal  along  the  Eel  River  appears  to  be  of  the 
Cretaceous  age,  while  the  coal  of  Round  Valley  appears  to  belong  to 
the  Tertiary  period.  The  Round  Valley  coal  is  a  bright,  glistening 
variety  with  concoidal  fracture.  It  contains  little  ash  and  a  high  per- 
centage of  carbons  and  stands  transportation  well. 

The  coal  along  this  belt  is  no  doubt  a  valuable  asset  to  the  county 
and,  now  that  transportation  is  within  a  reasonable  distance,  it  remains 
to  be  seen  if  it  can  be  mined  and  put  on  the  market  at  a  sufficiently  low 
cost  to  compete  with  the  present  coals  and  petroleum. 


MENDOCINO    COUNTY. 


47 


Louis  FALKENAU,  State  Assay  Office,   Safe  Deposit  Building,  Room  16,  southeast 
corner  California  and  Montgomery  streets. 

No.  14,357.  San  Francisco,  August  2,  1890. 

J.  L.  FLOOD,  Esq., 

Dear  Sir :  I  have  made  a  careful  technical  analysis  of  a  sample  of  coal  received 
from  you  marked  "Eel  River  Coal  Mine,  Mendocino  County,"  and  a  sample  marked 
"Wellington,"  with  the  following  results : 


Eel    River 

Wellington 

Specific   gravity   __      -  __        _.    __    _ 

1.302 

1  300 

Moisture           __    _           

7.9    per  cent 

2  4    per  cent 

Volatile    combustible 

36.2    per  cent 

33  45  per  cent 

Fixed  carbon 

53  5    per  cent 

58  6    per  cent 

Sulphur    __    _-  _-         

0.4    per  cent 

0  15  per  cent 

Ashes                                --              -          --    -  --  --  -- 

2       per  cent 

5  4    per  cent 

The  cokes  furnished  by  the  two  coals  (sample  of  which  I  hand  you  with  this 
report)  are  the  same  in  appearance,  but  that  of  the  Eel  River  coal  contains  3.6 
per  cent  of  ashes,  while  that  of  the  Wellington  contains  8.4  per  cent. 

The  Eel  River  coal  weighs  81  pounds  per  cubic  foot  and  in  place;  24.7  cubic  feet 
will  weigh  a  ton  of  2000  pounds,  but  to  store  a  ton,  about  42  cubic  feet  will  be 
required. 

As  the  sample  of  Eel  River  coal  is,  according  to  your  statement,  from  the  surface 
exposed  to  extraneous  moisture  it  is  to  be  assumed  that  the  coal  at  greater  depth 
will  contain  much  less  moisture.  If  the  Eel  River  and  Wellington  are  both  figured 
to  dry  coal,  their  carbon  compares  as  follows : 


Eel    River 

Wellington 

Volatile    combustion                             _                               _ 

39.73  per  cent 

34  42  per  cent 

Fixed   carbon 

58.19  per  cent 

60  04  per  cent 

Total   carbon       _.       ..    -      „    _.    

97.92  per  cent 

94.46  per  cent 

From  the  foregoing  I  consider  sample  of  Eel  River  coal  as  equal  to  the  Welling- 
ton for  domestic  use  and  as  fuel  for  steam  boilers. 
Yours  respectfully, 

(Signed)         Louis  FALKENAU. 
August  11,  1890. 

Analysis  of  Two  Samples  of  Coal  for  Geo.  R.  Wells,  Esq. 


"A" 

"B" 

Water                                    -          

6.70  percent 

2.55  per  cent 

Volatile   carbonaceous   matter                                 -  -  

52.89  per  cent 

62.01  prr   cri'i 

Fixed   carbon 

38.66  per  cent 

29.64  per   cent 

\«h 

1.75  per  cent 

5.80  per  cent 

Sulphur                                                    -            

100.00  per  cent 
2.49  percent 

100.00  per   cent 
1.81  per  cent 

The  sulphur  is  present  in  the  form  of  sulphates  of  lime. 

By  the  combustion  of  two  samples  of  coal  of  1  pound  each,  the  following- 
quantities  of  water  were  evaporated: 

Sample  1. — 13.86  pounds.    Sample  2. — 12.8  pounds. 
Both  samples  form  a  good  soft  coke. 

THOMAS  PRICE  &  SON. 


48  MINES   AND    MINERAL    RESOURCES. 

STATE  ASSAYER'S  OFFICE. 

SAN  FRANCISCO,  December  8,  1870. 

Analysis  of  coal  from  vein  running  through  Eel  River  to  Round  Valley  : 
S.   IT.   (Hazier.  /•></.    (for  the  company), 

DEAR  SIR:  I  have  made  a  careful  analysis  of  a  specimen  of  coal  received  from 
you  and  have  arrived  at  the  following  results  : 

Specific    gravity    1.282 

Volatile   combustible   substance    40.20  per  cent 

Fixed  carbon   49.70  per  cent 

Moisture    6.70  per  cent 

Ashes    3.00  per  cent 

Sulphur    0.40  per  cent 

Amount  of  gas  evolved,  37  cubic  feet  for  10  pounds  Avd.  of  the  coal. 
The  coal  burns  freely,  yields  a  fire  light,  and  compact  and  sonorous  coke,  and  its 
ashes  are  of  a  reddish-gray  color  and  do  not  slag. 

The  amount  of  sulphur  is  so  minute  that  it  does  not  make  itself  perceptible  to  the 
smell  in  burning  the  coal. 

Respectfully  yours, 

L.  FALKENAU,  State  Assayer. 

COPPER. 

Copper  mining  is  dormant.  There  are  several  prospects  where  slight 
development  has  been  done,  but  these  workings  have  caved  in  and  are 
practically  abandoned.  Among  the  prospects  that  have  received  some 
attention  may  be  mentioned  the  following : 

Eden  Valley  Copper  Mine.  This  mine  is  sometimes  called  the  Deep 
Hole  copper  mine  and  is  situated  in  Sec.  13,  T.  20  N.,  R.  12  W., 
M.  D.  M.,  in  the  Eden  Valley  mining  district  at  an  elevation  of  2500 
feet.  It  is  owned  by  W.  P.  Thomas  and  associates  of  Ukiah.  There 
are  two  claims,  comprising  40  acres,  located  in  1900. 

Three  or  four  small  veins  from  four  inches  to  a  foot  in  thickness 
strike  northwest — southeast  and  dip  22°  northeast.  The  veins  are 
composed  of  quartz  carrying  chalcopyrite  in  one  vein  and  carbonates 
in  another.  The  ore  averages  about  10  per  cent  copper.  The  hanging- 
wall  is  a  soft  slate  and  the  footwrall  is  a  quartzite.  Two  hundred  feet 
of  the  vein  has  been  proven  on  the  surface.  There  is  a  40-foot  shaft 
which  cuts  three  veins.  No  work  has  been  done  for  the  last  seven  years. 
A  cabin,  bunkhouse,  blacksmith  shop,  and  barn  are  on  the  property. 

Native  Copper  Mine.  This  is  a  prospect  situated  in  Lost  Valley, 
and  at  one  time  owned  by  C.  H.  Staut  of  Ukiah.  The  only  work  that 
lias  been  done  consists  of  trenching.  It  lias  been  idle  for  some  years. 
The  native  copper  is  disseminated  throughout  serpentine  which  is  also 
the  country  rock  in  this  vicinity. 

Salinas  Copper  Mine.  This  prospect  is  also  in  serpentine  formation 
in  Lost  Valley  and  the  strike  is  northwest — southeast,  and  the  dip 
65°  NE.  Some  sulphide  ore  was  taken  out.  It  was  owned  at  one 
time  by  C.  H.  Staut,  but  has  not  been  worked  for  some  years. 


MENDOCINO    COUNTY.  49 

Red  Buck  Mine.  This  property  is  an  extension  of  the  Salinas  mine 
and  the  development  work  consists  of  a  35-foot  tunnel  and  a  50-foot 
winze  from  it,  all  of  which  has  caved  and  been  abandoned. 

Red  Mountain  Group.  This  group  consists  of  four  claims  situated 
10  miles  southeast  of  Ukiah  on  the  ridge  which  divides  the  waters  of 
the  Russian  River  and  those  of  Clear  Lake  and  Cache  Creek.  There 
are  two  veins,  located  in  1890  and  relocated  from  time  to  time.  The 
formation  is  serpentine.  One  claim  is  developed  by  an  open  cut  and 
a  crosscut  tunnel.  Several  small  bunches  of  ore  have  been  found  in 
the  cut  showing  green  carbonates  and  metallic  copper.  An  adjoining 
claim  is  developed  by  two  shafts,  one  100  feet  and  the  other  50  feet 
deep.  In  1896,  carbonate  ore  was  taken  out  above  the  50-foot  level  in 
one  shaft,  and  the  shaft  was  extended  to  the  100-foot  point,  but  no 
ore  was  exposed,  the  bottom  being  in  sandstone  and  clay.  From  an 
incline  several  tons  of  low  grade  ore  have  been  taken  out.  The  former 
owners  were  Huff  &  Gibson  of  Ukiah.  No  work  has  been  done  for 
some  years. 

Ofjle  Copper  Mine.  This  mine  is  situated  in  Anderson  Valley  mining 
district  in  T.  13  N.,  R.  12  W.,  and  consists  of  2000  acres  of  patented 
land.  It  joins  the  Redwood  Copper  Queen  mine  on  the  north.  A  16- 
foot  shaft  in  the  center  of  the  claim  exposed  carbonate  ore.  Not  enough 
work  has  been  done  to  demonstrate  the  width  of  the  vein.  Gossan 
can  be  traced  through  this  property  for  a  distance  of  a  mile.  Ogle 
Brothers  of  Ornbaun  were  the  former  owners. 

McGimpsey  Mine.  Situated  in  Sees.  13,  17  and  18,  T.  13  N., 
R.  12  W.  The  property  comprises  eight  claims  in  a  serpentine  forma- 
tion. Considerable  copper  stain  is  shown  in  the  open  cuts  and,  in  a 
few  places,  red  oxide  of  copper  mixed  with  oxide  of  iron  is  seen. 
The  former  owner  was  C.  P.  McGimpsey  of  Ukiah. 

rid  a  Mine.  This  prospect  consists  of  only  one  claim  and  is  located 
10  miles  northeast  of  Cloverdale  and  4  miles  north  of  the  southern 
boundary  of  Mendocino  County.  There  is  a  55-foot  open  cut  across 
the  vein  material  which  strikes  east  and  west.  It  has  not  been  worked 
for  years.  The  ore  carries  a  slight  trace  of  carbonate  of  copper  and 
the  .uangue  material  is  mostly  iron  oxides.  The  walls  are  serpentine. 
The  former  owners  were  J.  C.  Caldwell  and  associates  of  Ilealdsburg, 
Sonoma  County. 

Hedwood  Copper  Quceu  Mine.  This  properly,  consisting  of  840 
acres  of  patented  land,  located  in  Sees.  17  and  20,  T.  12  N.,  R,  13  W., 
Al.  1).  M.  It  is  iM  miles  by  wagon  road  from  Cloverdale,  which  is 
the  nearest  railroad  station.  The  country  rock  is  a  highly  altered 
sandstone  covered  with  a  thick  laver  of  soil.  Then;  is  a  heavy  growth 


50  MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 

of  timber  on  the  land.  Gossan  croppings  appear  at  several  places. 
Development  work  has  shown  a  mineralized  zone  300  feet  long,  10  to 
40  feet  wide  and  125  feet  deep,  carrying  kidneys  and  lenses  of  sul- 
phide ore  the  size  of  a  man's  fist  and  larger.  The  largest  kidney  found 
was  75  feet  long  and  six  feet  thick.  The  ore  is  a  heavy  iron  sulphide 
carrying  copper  up  to  8%  or  9%  and  small  values  in  gold  and  silver. 
During  the  year  1906,  400  tons  of  ore  were  shipped  to  the  Peyton 
Chemical  Company  plant  for  treatment.  Its  high  sulphur  content  and 
the  absence  of  arsenic  made  it  desirable  for  the  manufacture  of  sul- 
phuric acid.  The  company  is  a  San  Francisco  corporation  of  which 
E.  R.  Leach  is  president,  and  Claude  Mellersh,  secretary. 

CHROME  IRON. 

There  is  a  deposit  of  chrome  iron  in  Sec.  24,  T.  15  N.,  R.  13  W., 
M.  D.  M.,  about  one  and  one  half  miles  west  of  Ukiah.  Very  little  work 
has  been  done  to  develop  this  deposit. 

Chrome  iron  has  also  been  found  12  miles  north  of  Willits. 

GOLD. 

There  is  no  mining  for  gold  in  Mendocino  County  at  the  present 
time.  In  former  years  there  was  some  development  work  being  done 
on  the  Boy  Edgar  and  Van  Allen  mines  but  only  the  ever-present 
legends  remain  telling  of  good  values  and  lost  mines. 

Boy  Edgar  Mine.  This  mine  was  worked  some  years  ago  by  the 
owner,  C.  H.  Staut  of  Ukiah,  and  is  reported  to  have  -been  rich  in  free 
gold.  The  ledge  was  lost  and  hunted  for  by  prospectors  but  has  never 
been  found.  It  was  supposed  to  be  located  somewhere  on  the  trail 
from  Ukiah  to  Lost  Valley.  C.  H.  Staut,  the  former  owner,  died 
several  years  ago. 

Van  Allen  Mine.  This  property  is  situated  6  miles  west  of  Ukiah 
at  an  altitude  of  one  thousand  feet.  There  are  two  claims  named  ' '  Car- 
rie" and  "Fred."  The  strike  of  the  formation  is  northwest  and 
southeast  and  the  dip  20°  NE.  There  are  five  prospect  tunnels.  The 
one  in  which  the  last  work  was  done  is  a  crosscut  tunnel  170  feet 
long.  This  tunnel  has  cut  several  stringers  of  quartz  in  a  hard,  tough 
blue  glaucophane  schist.  Only  assessment  work  is  being  done.  Prop- 
erty is  owned  by  William  Van  Allen  of  Ukiah. 

There  were  several  other  prospects  mentioned  in  the  Thirteenth 
Report  of  the  State  Mineralogist.  These,  however,  were  merely  loca- 
tions and  the  assessment  work  lapsed  soon  after  the  locations  were 
made,  so  they  are  not  mentioned  here. 


MENDOCINO   COUNTY.  51 

MANGANESE. 

There  is  a  manganese  deposit  of  considerable  magnitude  located  in 
Sees.  22,  27,  34  and  35,  T.  17  N.,  R.  12  W.,  M.  D.  M.  Eight  claims 
were  located  by  W.  P.  Thomas,  Requa,  Taylor,  and  others  in  1912. 
The  vein  is  in  quartzose  schist  and  the  strike  is  northwest  and  south- 
east and  the  dip  75°  to  80°  NE.  The  width  varies  from  3  feet  to 
20  feet.  In  1912,  one  thousand  dollars  was  expended  in  developing 
the  claims  and  some  work  has  been  done  every  year  on  the  property. 
Four  hundred  to  500  feet  of  the  vein  has  been  stripped  and  crosscut 
trenches  have  been  cut  for  several  hundred  feet  more. 

The  claims  are  3  miles  from  the  railroad  and  a  wagon  road  passes 
within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  it.  The  ore  is  of  a  high  quality  as  will  be 
seen  from  the  accompany inu  analyses  and  no  doubt  will  prove  a  valu- 
able asset  to  the  county  at  some  future  time. 

Cleveland  I'TOJH  rhj.  It  is  situated  3  or  4  miles  from  the  Thomas 
property  in  T.  17  N.,  R.  12  W.,  and  on  the  same  lode.  The  ore  is  a 
pyrolusite.  No  work  is  being  done  on  the  claims. 

Manganese  Assays   From   Property  of  W.  P.  Thomas. 

Assay  by  John  Crawford,  .  chemist,  for  Noble  Electric  Steel  Com- 
pany, April  4,  1912 : 

Metallic  manganese 52.24% 

Dioxide    82.50% 

Assay  by  Abbott  A.  Hanks,  San  Francisco,  February  21,  1912 : 

Metallic  manganese 54.07% 

Dioxide    85.56% 

Assay  by  Abbott  A.  Hanks,  December  22,  1911: 

Metallic  manganese 56.23% 

Dioxide 88.98% 

Assay  by  Abbott  A.  Hanks,  August  6,  1912 : 

Metallic  manganese 56.67% 

Dioxide    89.70% 

Assay  made  by  Geo.  A.  James  Company,  June  22,  1912 : 

Metallic  manganese 52.1% 

Dioxide    82.4% 

Dioxide    (with   water   removed) 91.2% 

Assay  by  Geo.  A.  James  Company,  28  Belden  place,  San  Francisco, 
June  24,  1912 : 

Metallic  manganese 54.9% 

Dioxide    86.8% 

Dioxide    (with   water  removed) '. 92.  % 


52  MINES  AND  MINERAL  RESOURCES. 

MAGNESITE. 

There  are  croppings  of  magnesite  in  Mendocino  County,  but  they 
have  not  been  developed.  They  occur  in  serpentine  formation  like 
most  of  the  other  magnesite  deposits  of  California. 

Vassar  Magnesite  Claims.  These  claims  are  located  12  miles  north 
of  Cloverdale  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county  and  within  1J 
miles  of  the  California  Northwestern  Railroad.  These  croppings  are 
in  serpentine  and  are  owned  by  James  Vassar,  who  owns  1000  acres 
of  ranch  land  on  which  the  croppings  occur.  No  development  has  been 
done.  There  is  another  cropping  of  magnesite  in  Mendocino  County 
near  the  northern  boundary  of  Sonoma  County. 

MINERAL  SPRINGS. 

There  are  several  mineral  springs  in  Mendocino  County,  having 
waters  of  medicinal  properties,  as  well  as  some  that  are  palatable  as 
table  waters.  Some  of  the  springs  have  well  appointed  accommoda- 
tions for  guests  with  excellent  transportation  equipment  for  visitors 
making  use  of  them  during  the  summer  months.  Some  of  these  waters 
compare  favorably  with  the  famous  waters  of  European  resorts,  as 
will  be  seen  from  the  comparison  of  their  analyses.  The  climatic  condi- 
tions are  unsurpassed  and  the  scenery  equally  as  beautiful  as  at  other 
springs  of  the  world. 

Vichy  Springs.  These  famous  springs  are  located  3  miles  easterly 
from  Ukiah,  in  Sec.  15,  T.  15  N.,  R.  12  W.,  and  are  reached  by 
railroad  from  San  Francisco  to  Ukiah,  and  thence  by  stage  to  the 
springs. 

The  waters  belong  to  the  alkalo-carbonated  class,  are  clear  and 
sparkling  and  of  an  agreeable  pungent  taste.  Their  chemical  com- 
position and  action  on  the  human  body  are  almost  identical  with  the 
noted  Ems  on  the  Lahn,  and  Fachingen  of  Nassau,  Germany,  also 
Vichy  of  Grand  Grille,  France. 

It  will  be  observed  from  a  chemical  analysis  made  of  these  waters 
that  they  are  heavily  charged  with  carbonic  acid  gas  and  carbonates, 
and  that  they  contain  some  iron  and  potassium  salts. 


MENDOCINO    COUNTY. 


Analytical  Comparison  of  Vichy  Springs. 


Solid  ingredients  in  one  gallon  of  2ol  inches  In  grains 

California 
Vichy 
analyzed 
by  Dr. 
Anderson. 
Tempera- 
ture 93 
degrees  F. 

Grande 
Grille, 
France, 
Vichy, 
analyzed 
by  Broquet. 
Tempera- 
ture 105.8 
degrees  F. 

Facliingen, 
Nassau, 
Germany. 
Analyzed 
by 
Frisenius. 
Tempera- 
ture not 
given 

Ems  on 
the  Lahn, 
Germany. 
Analyzed 
by 
Fresenius. 
Tempera- 
ture 115 
degrees  F. 

Sodium  chloride       __    -  _-      

28  60 

32  80 

36  48 

62  16 

Sodium    carbonate 

195  52 

208  00 

155  84 

84  24 

Sodium    sulphate 

36 

18  32 

1  12 

Sodium  phosphate      __       

6  24 

41 

Potassium  chloride  

.09 

Potassium   carbonate   _ 

trace 

16.32 

Potassium  sulphate      _  __ 

trace 

3  03 

Magnesium    carbonate 

19.75 

11  04 

10  85 

6  80 

Calcium  carbonate 

18  14 

18  48 

16  09 

10  00 

Ferrous   carbonate   ___      __    -    __ 

.07 

.16 

.64 

.16 

Strontium    carbonate 

.08 

trace 

trace 

Barium  carbonate 

trace 

Lithium  carbonate 

Borates    --    _ 

trace 

Arsenates       __    

.08 

Aluminates 

trace 

trace 

trace 

Silica 

5  92 

40 

2  09 

2  88 

Totals 

268  45 

311  92 

293  52 

169.27 

Cubic  inches  of  gases: 
Carbonic    acid   gas  

224.75 

14.74 

263.76 

54.24 

California  Seltzer  Springs.  These  springs  are  located  in  the  coast 
range  of  mountains  in  southern  Mendocino  County,  twelve  miles  north 
of  Cloverdale,  Sonoma  County.  There  is  a  hotel  en  the  property.  The 
waters  are  carbonated  and  sparkling,  and  are  quite  palatable.  An 
analysis  by  Winslow  Anderson,  M.D.,  gives  the  following: 


Grains 
per  TT.  S. 
gallon 

Sodium  chloride 

17.15 

Sodium  bicarbonate 

53.00 

Magnesium  carbonate         __                 _______                

44.60 

Calcium  carbonate     __    

72.40 

Ferrous   carbonate                                                                                                        

trace 

Silica 

trace 

Organic  matter 

trace 

Total  solids                                                                                                      _    

187.15 

Temperature,  57°. 

Free  carbonic  acid  gas,  18.00  cubic  inches. 

Orr's  Mineral  Springs.  These  springs  are  situated  15  miles  north- 
west of  Ukiah,  on  the  headwaters  of  Big  River,  in  Sec.  24,  T.  16  N., 
R.  14  W.,  at  an  altitude  of  1000  feet.  They  are  reached  by  rail  from 
San  Francisco  to  Ukiah,  thence  by  stage  to  the  springs.  The  hot 
sulphur  baths  are  well  known.  Springs  for  drinking  and  bathing  pur- 
poses occur,  varying  in  temperature  from  cold  to  107°  F. 


54 


MINES   AND    MINERAL    RESOURCES. 


Reported  Analysis  of  Orr's  Mineral  Water. 


Grains 
per  U.  S. 
gallon 

Silica 

1  917 

Silicate  of   soda.        _         —  _    _ 

15.502 

Oxide   of   lime  _.    .. 

.425 

Carbonate   of   lime 

367 

Sodium  carbonate 

175 

Sodium  chloride      --           ________ 

1.909 

There  are  three  springs  called  the  "Cold  Sulphur,"  "Hot  Sulphur," 
and  "Iron  Spring."  The  "Hot  Sulphur"  water  has  a  temperature  of 
106°  F. 

Duncan  Springs.  The  springs  are  located  1-J  miles  southwest  from 
Hopland  Station,  in  Sec.  25,  T.  13  N.,  R.  12  W.  Hopland  is  on  the 
California  and  Northwestern  Railroad  and  stages  connect  with  trains. 
There  are  live  cold  springs  on  the  property,  two  of  which  are  soda,  and 
one  a  sulphur  spring.  The  other  two  are  called  the  "Borax"  and 
"Duncan"  springs,  the  latter  being  the  principal  one.  The  water  from 
this  spring  is  claimed  to  be  similar  to  the  celebrated  Bartlett  Springs. 

Reported   Analysis   of   Duncan   Springs. 


Grains 
per 
gallon 

Bicarbonate  of  magnesia                                                         __                   _ 

90.11 

Chloride  of  magnesia 

1.41 

Sulphate  of  magnesia.  _      _-    .  -  

1.64 

Bicarbonate  of  lime      _                            _                

15.64 

Silica       ._                                                                                                      -        

6.94 

Bicarbonate  of  potash 

2.37 

Bicarbonate  of  soda    _      _,    _.                  _-_-____  . 

2.37 

Free   carbonic   acid 

36.57 

Total 

157.05 

Garby's  Springs.  These  small  alkali  springs  are  situated  at  the  base 
of  the  foothills,  one  mile  west  of  Ukiah. 

Lane's  Springs.  These  are  located  in  Redwood  Valley  near  Calpella. 
The  waters  have  an  alkaline  but  pleasant  taste. 

OIL. 

Some  drilling  for  oil  was  conducted  in  the  county  during  the  oil 
excitement  in  the  years  1865,  1866,  1867,  but  no  oil  in  paying  quantities 
was  obtained.  The  oil  was  of  excellent  quality.  Experiments  were 
made  with  the  bituminous  sandstones  to  see  if  oil  could  be  distilled 
from  them  in  payable  quantities.  The  experiments  yielded  a  fair  per- 
centage of  oil  but  the  cost  of  production  and  freight  to  the  consumer 
was  too  high  to  be  a  profitable  venture. 


MENDOCINO    COUNTY.  55 

These  bituminous  sandstones  have  been  developed,  mostly  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Point  Arena.  The  beds  in  that  region  are  20  feet  thick 
and  yield  from  10%  to  11%  volatile  matter.  Picked  specimens  run  as 
high  as  15%  in  volatile  matter,  but  the  bituminous  sandstones  as  a 
whole  are  not  sufficiently  impregnated  with  petroleum  to  compete  with 
other  deposits  of  the  State. 

QUARRIES. 

There  are  no  quarries  operating  in  the  county  at  the  present  time. 
The  best  quality  of  road  metal  being  used  in  Mendocino  comes  from 
Petaluma,  Sonoma  County.  The  metamorphic  rocks  of  the  county  are 
not  suitable  for  road  building. 


INDEX. 


Page 

Allen    mine    31 

Alta  California  mine 12 

Aluminum    plates,    use    of,    in    plat- 
inum  recovery 7 

Analysis     of    coal     from     Mentlocino 

County    47,  4S 

of  Humboldt  Ray   cement ~'-\ 

of  limestone  from  .Jaeoby  Cn'ck  i!4 

of    manganese    ore 51 

of    mineral    water__ 39,    53,  54 

Anderson,    Dr.    Winslow 53 

Aivata,   coal   near 29 

Assay  value  of  .placer  sold IX,   31-37 

Auriferous    gravels 3 

Aurora,    hydraulic    mine 17 


I'.ayside  Lumber  Co 23, 

I '.each    sands,    gold    an:l    platinum    in 
5,    7, 

Hear   River   oil   wells 

Bituminous   sandstones 43, 

I  .lack   Diamond  mine 

sands,   gold   in 4,    5, 

in  Del   Norte   County 

in    Humboldt    County 

platinum    in    4,    5, 

Bondo    mine 

Bonneville  quartz  mine 

Boy  Edgar  mine 

I'.riceland   Estate  gas  well 37, 

oil   near 

Oil   and   Land   Co.   wells 

Brick  and   tile 21,    22, 

Britton  No.   1  and  No.   2   claims 

Brown   &   Knowles   oil    well 

Burrows  oil  well 

Building     materials     in     Del     Norte 

County 

in    Humboldt   County 21 

in    Mendocino    County 


California    Seltzer    springs 

Vichy   springs    (see  Vichy) 

Cavanaugh  mine 

Cement 


38 

21 
4  '2 
55 
19 
21 

21 

2 1 
31 
30 
50 
38 
40 
42 
46 
15 
41 
41 

9 

45 
53 

32 
23 

Christensen   hydraulic   mine 18 

Chrome  iron  in  Del  Norte  County 10 

in  Mendocino  County 50 

Clays 9,    10,    21,    22,    45 

Cleopatra  copper  claims 14 

Clover  Flat  placer  mine 32 

Coal   in   Del   Norte   County 10 

in    Humboldt   County 29-30 

in  Mendocino  County 45-48 

Cook  placer  mine 18 

Cook's   springs 40 

Copper  in  Del  Norte  County__3,  4,  10-16 

in   Humboldt  County 4,   24-29 

in   Mendocino   County 4,    48-50 


Page 

(Yaig    oil    well 4^ 

Crimson    group __26,    29 

Crook    plarer    mine 18 

Crotmi    liar  mine    (see  Bondo) 

Dave  Savoy  placer  mine 17 

Davis    Creek    oil    well 41 

Deep  Hole  mine    (see   E  len   Valley) 

1  )el   Norte  County 3-20 

black    sands    in 5-9 

building  materials   in 9 

chrome    iron    in 10 

clay  in 9—10 

coal  in 10 

copper   in    4,    10-16 

Diamond    Creek    District    in 14 

French   Hill    District   in 15 

geology  of 3-5 

gold  in 16-20 

gold    placers    in 16—19 

gold  quartz   in 19-20 

iridium   in    9 

osmium  in 9 

platinum  in 4,  5,  7,  9,  17,  18 

pottery    clay    in 10 

quicksilver  in 20 

sandstone  in 9 

Distillation      percentages       obtained 

from  Humboldt  County  oils '_      41 

Doctor   Rock   group 11,    16 

Young  hydraulic  mine 17 

Duncan   springs 54 

East   Fork   group    (see  Oak   Flat) 

Eden  Valley  copper  mine 48 

Edwards,    Frank    B.,    prospect 16 

Eel   River   coal   mine 47 

coal   on 29,    45,   46,  48 

Elkhorn    hydraulic   mine 17 

Ems   spring,   Germany,   analysis   of_  53 

Eureka   Brick   and   Tile   Co 21,  22 

Fachirigen   spring,    Germany,   analy- 
sis  of 53 

Far  West  Oil  Co 41 

Felt's    springs    39 

Florence  placer  mine 32 

Fortuna  brickyard 21 

Frank    Zaar   copper   mine 13 

French   Hill  chrome  mines 10 

district    15,  16 

placer   mine    17 

platinum   in 5,  17 

Garberville,    coal    near 29 

oil   near 40 

Garby's  springs 54 

Geologic    description    of    Del    Norte, 

Humboldt  and  Mendocino  counties  3-5 


58 


INDEX. 


Page 

Geology  of  Del  Norte  County 3-5 

of   Humboldt   County 3-5 

of    Mendocino    County —   3-5 

George  Cook  placer  mine 18 

Washington   placer   claims 17 

Gold  in  Del  Norte  County___        __  16-20 

placer  mines 16-19 

quartz   mines    19-20 

in    Humboldt   County 30-37 

placer  mines 31-37 

quartz   mines   _30-31 

in  Mendocino  County 50 

placer,  assay  value  of 18,  31-37 

platinum  with 4,  5,  7,  9,  17,  18 

Grand  Grille  spring,   France,   analy- 
sis  of   53 

Graphite    

Gravels,   auriferous 3,    21 

platinum   in —4,   21 

Hard  Luck  mine 19 

Haw  quarry 

Henderson  oil  well 

Hendrix  &  Howe  claims—. 

Hendrix,  Howe  &  McDonald  group.     15 

Hoaglin   oil   well --  42 

Horse  Mountain 

copper   district 

copper  mine 

Humboldt    Bay    

Bay  cement 

Clay  Manufacturing  Co.— 
copper  mine 

Humboldt   County __21-44 

black  sands  in 

brick  and  tile  in 21 

building    materials    in—          —21-24 

cement   in   

coal    in    29,    30 

copper    in    _  —24-29 

geology  of 3-5 

gold   in 21,    30-37 

gold   quartz   in 30-31 

gold   placers    in — 31-37 

graphite   in 

Horse   Mountain    district    in 24-29 

iron  in 

limestone   in —23-24 

Mattole    district    in 29 

mineral    water    in 38-40 

natural  gas  in 38 

ochre  in 44 

oil    in    40-44 

oil  occurrences  in,  map  of — 
petroleum  in    (see  oil) 
placers  in   (see  gold) 

platinum  in 21,  31,  32,  34-37 

quarries .  in 

sands  in    (see  black  sands) 

Humboldt  Mineral  Water   Co 38 

oils,    distillation    of 41 

oil    well    42 

Hunters    Luck    claims 14 


Page 
Hydraulic  mines    (see  gold) 

lagua   mineral   water 39 

Idora  mine   14 

Iridium   in   Del   Norte   County 9 

Iron     38 


Jacoby  Creek,   brick  clay  on. 

limestone  on 

quarry    


Kauss  placer  mine 18 

platinum    nuggets    in 5 

Klamath    River,    gold    and    platinum 

in   gravels   of 21 

hydraulic   mine    33 

Klondike   group    15 

Lane's  springs 54 

Larribee  Creek,   coal   on 29 

Lassen   Creek   copper   claims 26 

Lignite    (see  coal) 

Limestone  in  Humboldt  County— 4,  23-24 

Little  Klondike  mine 31 

Low  Divide  chrome  mines 10 

mining  district 11 

Lucky  Boy  and  Rosebud  group 15 

Mackintoch   oil   well 42 

Mad  River,   coal  on 29 

Magnesite    52 

Manganese    ore    51 

analysis  of 51 

Maple  Creek,  coal  on 29 

Map  of  Horse  Mountain  copper  dis- 
trict         28 

Map  of  oil  occurrences  in  Humboldt 

County   43 

Markeson  mine   (see  Bondo) 

Mattole  mining  district 29 

river   coal   on 29 

McGimpsey  mine 49 

McNutt   Gulch    oil   well 41 

Mendocino    County    45—55 

brick  and  tile  in 45 

coal   in   45-48 

copper    in    48-50 

chrome  iron  in 50 

geology  of 3-5 

gold  in 50 

manganese  in 51 

magnesite  in 52 

mineral    water    in 52-54 

oil    in    54 

quarries   in    55 

Mineral  water,  analysis  of 39,   53,   54 

foreign,    analysis   of 53 

in    Humboldt    County 38-40 

in    Mendocino    County 52—54 

Minor,    Isaac,    quarry 23 

Monkey  Creek  placer  mine 18 

Monumental   Consolidated   mine 19,   20 

district    14,    15 

Mountain  View  springs 40 


INDEX. 


59 


Page 

Myrtle   Creek   Mining  Co. . 5 

hydraulic  mine 18 

Native  Copper  mine 48 

Natural   gas   in   Humboldt   County —     38 
Nels  Christensen  hydraulic  mine 18 

Oak  Flat  and  East  Fork  groups___     18 

Ochre    44 

Ogle  copper  mine 49 

Oil   in  Humboldt  County 3,   4,   40-44 

in   Mendocino   County 4,    54—55 

occurrences   in   Humboldt 

County,  map  of 43 

seepages 42,   43 

Old    Crow    claims 15 

Oro  Anna  mine 20 

Orcutt  hydraulic  mine 33 

Oriental    copper   claim 14 

Orleans  Bar  mine 33 

Oro   Del   Norte    Company 5-9 

plant    of,    for    electric    recovery 

of   gold    and    platinum 5-9 

Orr's    mineral    springs 53—54 

Osmium  in  Del  Norte  County 9 

Pacific    Engineering    and    Construc- 
tion  Co.    22 

Pearch    Creek,    gold   quartz   on 31 

hydraulic  mine 34 

Petaluma,   road  metal  from 55 

Peters,   Frank,    gas  well 38 

Petroleum   (see  oil) 

Petrolia,    oil   near 40 

Peyton  Chemical   Co 50 

Pieta  mine   49 

Placer  mines   (see  under  gold) 

Platinum   in   Del   Norte   County 

4,    5,   7,   9,   17,  18 

in    Humboldt    County 

21,    31,    32,    34,    35,    36,  37 

nuggets    of    5 

plant  for  electric  recovery   of__  7 
Point  Arena,  bituminous  sandstones 

at    55 

Pottery  clay 10 

Preston  Peak  mine 16 

Quarries  in  Humboldt  County 22-23 

in  Mendocino  County 55 

Quartz  prospect  on   Pearch  Creek 31 

Quicksilver  in  Del  Norte  County__          20 


Rainbow    group 


.26,    29 


. 

Red   Buck  mine !. 1  •'  4^ 

Cap  Creek  copper  mines 25,  29 

gold   on    30 

Cap  mine 30 

Mountain  group 49 

Porphyry    mine    34 

Redwood   Copper  Queen  mine 49-50 

Reed   oil  well 42 

Rock,    Doctor,    group 11,  16 

Rock  quarries   (see  quarries) 

Rocky    Point    mine 35 

Rosalina  placer  mine 35 

Rough  and  Ready  placer  mine 35,  36 

Round  Valley,   coal   in 46,  48 

Ruby   copper  mine 28 

Salinas  copper  mine 48 

Salstrom  placer  mine 36 

Salt  Lake-California  mine 12,  13 

Sands,  black,   in  Del  Norte  County_  5-9 

Sandstone    9 

bituminous    55 

Sarvarum   group    35 

Savoy  placer  mine 17 

Serpentine,    copper  associated   with_  25 

magnesite    in    52 

platinum    in    5 

Springs  (see  mineral  water) 

Superior  copper  mine : 13 

Sweet  Home  copper  mine 27 

Thomas  ranch,   coal   on 45,  46 

manganese   on    51 

Thompson    Bar   mine 36 

Tile    (see  brick,   also   clays) 

Trinity  River 3 

Tyson  Mining  Co 10 

Union  Copper  Co 12 

Union   oil   well 41 

Van    Allen    mine 50 

V;issar   magnesite   claims 52 

Vichy   springs 52,  53 

analytical    comparison   of 53 

Washington    placer    claims 17 

Weitchpec   Bar   mine 37 

Wells   coal   deposit 47 

Wild-  Goose  oil  wells__ 42 

Willow   Creek,   gold  on 30 

Yager   Creek   springs 40 

Young,    Doctor,    hydraulic    mine 17 

Zaar,   Frank,   copper  mine 13,    14 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


7~tO      J*  4OCC 

FEB     7  1955 

FEE    2  1955  U! 

. 

- 

~ 

LIBRARY  U! 

51 

*AY21  k 

O 

LD  21-100m-8,'34 

Gay  lord  Bros. 

Makers 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
PAT.  JAN.  21, 1908 


323631 


£-£-. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


